Game, Set, Match
by MandyLeigh87
Summary: Bella is hired as a photographer to do a photo feature on the cocky, playboy tennis pro Edward Cullen. Bella is determined to resist his charms, but Edward can't seem to leave her alone. Does love really mean nothing in tennis? Slightly OOC, AH. Rated M
1. Manwhore

**A/N: Hello lovelies!  
**

**This story deals with Tennis...obviously. I played for four years in high school so I'd like to say that I'm pretty versed in the subject, however I am not an expert by any means. Also there is this little thing called creative license, so I just want to put it out there that although I try to be as accurate as possible I may alter things slightly on purpose just so it goes with the story (such as tournament dates ect) so please just know that in advance.  
**

**There is a blog for this story. I will use it for teasers, playlists, news, pictures ect. So if you'd like to check it out this is the website. You can also follow it and receive updates when I post new things. www(dot)gamesetmatchfanfiction(dot)blogspot(dot)com**

**If you aren't following me on twitter, you definitely should. My tweets are locked but I will accept you so just request to follow. I post a lot of fanfic things on there, like when I might be updating and teasers ect.**

**I also have a facebook page for me as an author. Friend me at MandyLeigh Fanfic.**

**Huge thank you to my prereaders: secamimom and Other Amanda, I appreciate you guys taking the time to read my stuff  
**

**This story is entirely in BPOV. However I have decided to do EPOV outtakes for every 750 reviews it receives and/or for auctions, ect.  
**

**Twilight is property of Stephenie Meyer, but this story is mine so please don't steal it. It makes all the kittens and puppies of the world sad, so don't do it. I also am not interested in having it translated into another language. Thanks for the offers, but no thanks. : )  
**

"Jazz have you seen my keys?" I picked up the stack of dirty laundry at the foot of the couch.

"No darlin' I have my own set, why would I take yours?"

Sarcastic as usual. Of course that Southern drawl of his made it hard to be mad at him.

"Great. I'm going to be late," I mumbled to myself as I looked around the apartment. It really was a beautiful place once you took away all the trash, the clutter and all the piles of clothes that always seemed to fester in the area. I couldn't complain though. I was just glad Jasper let me stay here with him until I found a job. Rent in Seattle would have been impossible for me on my own, Jasper's parents were loaded. They set him up with this whole place after we graduated college. I wish I was that lucky. Charlie barely had enough money to send me to college in the first place.

"Unless you want me living with you for the rest of your life you better get your ass out of bed and help me, otherwise I'm never going to make it to this interview!" I hestitantly lifted up the couch cushions, completely unaware of what I'd find under there. Besides about three dollars in change and a few stray French fries there was nothing. "Jasper!" I screamed.

"Would you just relax?" He finally appeared in his doorway still in his pajamas. He ran his fingers through his unruly blonde hair and yawned, completely annoying me to no end. Did he not understand that this interview was important? "Where did you last have them?" He put his hands on his hips and looked around.

"I don't know I guess last night when I came down from the dark room." I shrugged and glanced at the clock. I need to be there in fifteen minutes. And it took me at least ten to walk there so unless a Christmas miracle decides to happen in the middle of August I was royally fucked. This was first interview I'd been able to land the entire two months I'd been here. Job hunting was the spawn of Satan as far as I was concerned and if I didn't make it to this interview who knew how long it would be until I got another one.

"Alright I'll go check the stairway. Do you have your keys to the darkroom?"

"No they're on my key ring genius!" I sighed and pulled at my hair as he disappeared out the door and up the stairs towards the darkroom. Since Jasper's parents refused to let me pay a single dime to stay here, I'd been paying the apartment complex to let me use one of their extra storage closets as a dark room. If I was going to find work as a photographer I needed a portfolio and I couldn't develop pictures properly with week old Bagel Bites right next to me.

I searched the rest of the living room with no luck. Jasper walked back in just as I started to hyperventilate.

"Bells…" He said. "This is not the end of the world."

"Yeah you're allowed to say that. You don't need a job, I do." I sat down on the couch and buried my head in my hands. "Not all of our parents can own a yacht and a vacation home in Aspen."

"Here let me get you some water." He hurried over to the refrigerator and whipped it open as he grabbed one of the only clean glasses in the entire apartment. "Uh Bells?" He said slowly.

"What?" I spun around and saw my keys dangling from his finger.

"Where did you find them?" I jumped up and ran towards him, snatching the keys away from his hand.

"In the fridge." He reached inside and took out the milk.

"How the hell did they get in there," I said as he took a swig right from the carton. "You know what? Nevermind." I spun around and looked for my portfolio.

"Over by the couch." He nodded.

I ran over and grabbed it, trapping it under my arm as I darted for the door. "Thanks Jazz."

"All in a days work…" He gave me a lazy wave as I closed the door behind me.

I smiled at the doorman as I passed and exited into the drizzle of rain that was a staple of living in Seattle. I skipped towards the crosswalk and skitted across, narrowly avoiding a very pissed off taxi driver.

I stepped into the building exactly two minutes before my interview was supposed to start. Here's to hoping they were running late. I stopped briefly at the front desk to check in. I quickly showed them my I.D. and grabbed a visitor pass as I scanned the directory looking for the right office. Seattle Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Modern Dog Magazine. That's the one. Fifth floor. I hurried towards the elevator and stepped inside, already pushing the button.

"Hold that elevator!" Someone yelled.

I closed my eyes tight and waited hoping that whoever they were was too slow. _Dear doors, please just close and take me at super speed up to the 5__th__ floor so I can get out of that pig sty that Jasper calls an apartment. _

Just as they were about to close tight a very delicate manicured hand stuck between them and forced them back open. I sighed as two girls stepped on. One was very petite with short dark hair, the other was what only could be described as a blonde bombshell. She was tall with perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect boobs. They were probably all fake. Or at least that's what I told myself.

I tapped my toe and anxiously pushed the button, hoping that it would just make the doors close faster. The little one bent in front of me and pressed the button for the seventh floor, smiling sweetly at me as she stood back.

"You look really familiar….do I know you?"

I turned towards them and noticed the blonde was staring at me with a confused look on her face. Now that I really looked at her she did kind of look familiar.

"I don't think so," I tried to shove it off since I was in a hurry. Whoever she was I didn't need a trip down memory lane right now.

I eyed the number above the door as it climbed. 2…3…4… The elevator slammed to an abrupt stop, nearly causing all of us to stumble into one of the walls. The light flickered above us and finally stayed on.

"What the hell?" Blondie said.

"It's probably just a malfunction Rose, relax." The short one said.

I sighed in disgust as I realized where I knew the blonde from. It was Rosalie Hale. Homecoming Queen of Forks High School 2005 and Resident Bitch. It was no wonder she didn't quite recognize me. I was usually the one she was stepping all over. One of the little people. A yearbook geek with braces who couldn't land a date if she walked into school naked.

I glanced down at my watch and slowly saw the seconds clicking by. There goes that job.

"I guess we might as well introduce ourselves." The short girl turned towards me and held out her hand. "My name's Alice Cullen. This is Rosalie Hale."

I looked up at Rose, wondering if she'll even remember my name. "I'm Bella." I cleared my throat. "Bella Swan."

Rose's eyes shot towards me. "Forks High?"

I nodded slightly and leaned back against the elevator wall.

"I knew you looked familiar. I remember you now," she smiled. I expected her to snicker or launch into full detail about how I puked a hot dog all over the principal at the last soccer game, but she didn't. Her smile actually looked genuine, almost unrecognizable. "So what are you up to now?"

"I live here. With Jasper Whitlock."

"Jathsper?" She interrupted with a small laugh. You'd never know it now but Jasper used to have this terrible lisp in high school and everyone used to make fun of him for it. Not that I like him in that way, but he's a full fledged hottie now. I could tell by the way the girls eyes followed him around the room and how they practically fainted everytime he opened his mouth. I bet Rose would be eating her words if she saw him. Maybe he should sign up for that Maury show where the old wounded ones show off their goods to the people that used to make fun of them. We'll have to look into that. "Are you two still together?"

"We…were never together. Just friends. He's letting me stay with him while I look for a job."

"Oh," Rose sighed.

"So what are you doing here?" Alice asked.

"Well I was supposed to be in an interview for a photography job about ten minutes ago…"

"For which magazine?"

"Um…Modern Dog?"

"Oh no honey that won't do." Alice shook her head. "Are you any good?"

"I guess so," I shrugged.

"Is that your portfolio?" She eyed the black folder still underneath my arm and reached for it before I could answer. She flipped it open and started thumbing through my pictures.

"Bella these are amazing!"

"Thank you," I said softly.

We all screamed as the elevator shook a little bit and started moving again. It opened at the fifth floor but I didn't even bother stepping out. That was a lost cause. I'd just ride up with them to their floor and make my way back down.

The elevator stopped again at the seventh floor and Rosalie stepped out. Alice quickly closed my portfolio and handed it back to me, her stare lingering for a moment.

"Come with me," she smiled brightly and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the elevator. We brushed through a large waiting room full of people chatting away on their phones or looking through magazines. I had no idea what was going on but I was too scared to argue with Alice. She was way too nice.

She stepped up to the front desk and I finally realized where we were. Sports Illustrated.

"Can I help you?" The woman at the desk asked.

"Yes we have an eleven o'clock with Mr. Cleary," Alice nodded. Her face was no longer the bright and bubbly one from the elevator. Her voice was stern, strong compared to the light bell-like voice I'd heard before.

"One moment please." The secretary picked up her phone and quickly dialed a few numbers. "Mr. Cleary your eleven o'clock is here."

"Send them in please."

The secretary hung up the phone and gestured to the long hallway beside her. She stood up and led us down, her heels clinking against the marble floor. I looked anxiously from side to side wondering what the hell I was doing going into this meeting with one person I just met and another one who made my high school a living hell. And who the fuck is Mr. Cleary?

The secretary stopped at the last door and knocked.

"Come in," a booming voice yelled.

She opened the door for us and we stepped inside. A man, whom I assumed to be Mr. Cleary, was sitting at a large desk with a floor to ceiling window all along the wall behind him. The secretary discreetly closed the door as Mr. Clearly gestured to the overstuffed chairs in front of his desk.

"Please sit," he said.

Alice and Rosalie confidently strolled over and sat down, both of them crossing their legs at the exact same time. Alice cleared her throat, signaling me to sit down as well. I scurried over and sat down in the last chair, my eyes anxiously wandering around the room.

"May I introduce Rosalie Hale, my assistant and Mr. Cullen's personal stylist." She gestured to Rose before turning her glance towards me. "And this is Bella Swan, our photographer."

I choked a little on some spit and started coughing spastically. Photographer? Rose slapped me on the back as Alice continued her conversation with Mr. Cleary.

"I thought we had agreed on using our photographer Miss Cullen."

"We did. But as Mr. Cullen's agent it's my responsibility to assure that he is represented in the best way possible. Miss Swan will do the feature or we're out. Simple as that."

"Miss Cullen, I understand, but…"

"That's the offer Mr. Cleary, take it or leave it. Let us know when you've reached your decision." Alice stood up and I took that as a cue for me to as well. I cleared my throat and turned around to leave, but my foot caught on the chair and I stumbled a little. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks, but I didn't look back. I just kept my eyes on the door and told myself to breathe.

I only spoke after I heard the office door close behind us.

"Alice what the hell was that?" I whispered.

"Wait for it," she grinned from ear to ear.

"Alice…" I started.

"Wait." She held up a finger just as Mr. Cleary's door flew open again.

"Miss Cullen!" He yelled. "We accept your proposal."

"Fax the papers to my office." She smiled and kept her eyes forward as we continued down the hallway.

"Alice!" I said through my teeth.

"Relax Bella. I just solved both of our problems. You needed a job and we needed a non-shitty photographer. You my dear," she looked at me, "are non-shitty."

I bit down on my lip as we got into the elevator, comteplating everything she'd just said. Did she just get me a job? At Sports Illustrated? I couldn't hide the smile that spread across my face.

I was still in a state of euphoria as we stepped off the elevator and through the main lobby. As soon as we stepped outside Rosalie disappeared into a long black limo waiting outside and I continued on the sidewalk, almost completely oblvious.

"Bella?" Alice nodded to the limo.

"What?"

"We have some papers to sign honey." She smiled and gestured to the limo again and I got inside.

The driver took off and eventually pulled up in front of another office building. Alice stepped out and Rose pushed me in front of her. I followed them into the building and directly into a smaller office.

"Miss Cullen these papers were just faxed over from Sports Illustrated." A tan, beautiful girl handed her some papers from behind a desk.

"Excellent. Hold my calls please." Alice walked through an office with her name on the front and held it open for me and Rose. "Bella I just need you to sign a few of these papers and you're as good as hired." She laid the papers down on the desk. It looked like a whole lot of legal mumbo jumbo and honestly I had no idea what half of it meant. But I had a job. A real, grown up job.

I signed the papers without another thought and handed them back to Alice.

"Alright." She filed the papers under her arm and pulled out her checkbook. "This is the first half of your payment. You'll get the other half when the spread is turned in." She scribbled furiously and ripped the check out of her book. My eyes widened as I counted the number of zeros at the end. This half alone was more than I'd made the entire last year working at the Campus Diner.

"Alice are you sure that's not too much?" I asked, wondering if she made a mistake.

"Nope. This is a perfectly acceptable amount."

I sighed and looked at the number again. I could buy a brand new camera with this, maybe start actually paying rent to Jasper's parents until I found an actual steady job instead of all this freelancing.

"Um Alice can I ask what I'll be doing?" I laughed out loud when I realized I didn't even know what the job was.

"You'll be photographing my brother for the next few months as he prepares for the tournament. Sports Illustrated is doing a full length feature on him. Everything from practice, to events to actual matches. If he's there, you're there. So if you have any other projects push them aside."

"And who is your brother exactly?"

"I thought the name would have tipped you off. Edward Cullen."

"Should I know him?" I racked my brain, but nothing rang a bell. But he was an athelete afterall and I was Bella Swan, the girl born with the most unathletic genes known to man.

Rosalie snickered behind me and Alice gasped. "You don't know the Edward Cullen. Greatest Tennis player to walk this earth. Been compared to Agassi, Sampras…and unfortunately McEnroe due to his lack of control at some points."

I shrugged and frowned. I had no clue who this guy was. I guess I better do some research.

"When do I start?"

"Edward has practice tomorrow morning at eight. Why don't you come by and introduce yourself, take a few practice shots to get used to him?" Alice said.

"Okay sounds great."

"Write down your phone number here. I'll send you the address." She handed me a piece of paper and I wrote my number down.

"Thank you Alice. For everything. That was very nice of you considering you don't even know me."

"You're good Bella. And besides I get feelings about people. And I've got a good feeling about you." She winked.

"Well thanks again." I grabbed my portfolio and turned to leave.

As soon as I was outside I called my dad. He didn't answer of course so I left a message.

"Hey Dad it's me. Um…Good News. I got a job. It's just a freelance right now but it's kind of big so…yeah. Call me."

I hung up and took a cab home since I realized I had no idea where I was.

"Jasper!" I yelled as I ran into the apartment. "Jazz where are you!"

"In here sweetheart!" He yelled from his bedroom. I dropped my stuff and ran towards his voice.

"What's up?" He asked, not averting his eyes from his video game on the screen.

"I got a job."

"What?" He turned around.

"I. Got. A job!" I screamed, jumping up and down. He got up and engulfed me in a Jasper hug, my favorite kind.

"Congratulations! Modern Dog is lucky to have you."

"Well…it's not at Modern Dog."

"Where is it?"

"A little magazine called Sports Illustrated."

"No fucking way?"

"Way."

He let go of me and started jumping up and down.

"Dude you have to take me to work with you. I'll be your personal assistant. I can help oil them up and…"

"Wait Jazz. It's not the swimsuit edition. I'm photographing Edward Cullen."

"Who?"

"That's what I said. Apparently he's some big tennis pro."

"Well it doesn't matter who the clown is. You have a job! We need to celebrate."

"But I wanted to…" I pointed to the computer wanting desperately to Google this guy and see what I was working with.

"No. Whatever it is can wait. Go get dressed." He spun me around and slapped me on the ass as he pushed me out of the room. I quickly threw on some jeans and a tank top and we were off. Jasper treated me to dinner and then we headed to the new trendy bar in town. I really didn't think we'd get in, I heard it was pretty exclusive.

We stood in the middle of an extremely long line that had barely moved an inch since we got here.

"Jasper this is pointless. We're not going to get in." I tapped my foot and glanced at my watch. We'd been in line for over an hour.

"It's not pointless. See here comes the bouncer." He leaned out of the line. "Hey man!" He yelled.

I kind of secretly hoped Jasper would piss him off enough for him to punch him so I wouldn't have to for making me stand outside in the cold.

"Everybody has to wait…" The bouncer said flatly.

"I know, I know but look at this girl." He gestured towards me and I could tell he was trying to Southern Charm his way inside. "This beautiful girl is my best friend in the entire world. And she just got a job with Sports Illustrated."

The bouncer looked me up and down and I felt dirty enough that I thought I should take a shower immediately.

"Alright. You two are in."

My mouth fell open as shouts of disgust sounded from everyone else in line. Jasper held up the rope for me and we were escorted to the front of the line and inside.

"Why did he do that?" I asked Jasper as we made our way towards the bar,

"Because he wanted to screw you. That's why." He laughed and ordered us some shots. And then more. And more.

The next thing I knew I couldn't feel my face and distinctly saw this fuzzy light circulating around Jasper's body.

"I need to piss. I'll be back," Jasper smiled and stumbled towards the bathroom. I ordered myself another drink as I waited.

"Hi there," a smooth voice said. This was the first time a guy had hit on me all night. It was one of the good things about hanging around with Jasper. All the creeps just assumed we were together and didn't dare make a move.

"You're going to fail buddy, don't even try." I kept my eyes straight ahead and took a long sip of my drink.

"Oh come on sweetheart you didn't even look at me," he said again. I felt a pair of hands on the sides of my stool, barely brushing against my body as he spun me towards him. The first thing I saw was piercing green eyes staring right into mine. I took another sip of my drink as I examined his mop of reddish-bronze hair, and his chiseled jaw and totally doable body. I instinctively licked my lips, but told myself no. I may be celebrating but that didn't mean I was a Stage 5 whore.

"There," I forced the sarcasm in my voice as I kinked an eyebrow. "I looked." I shrugged my shoulders and set my empty drink on the bar.

"And do you like what you see?" He winked.

"You're…average," I said, trying not to let my lie show. He was fucking gorgeous, it almost hurt to look at him. But the words of my mother kept echoing in my head. _No one will buy the cow if you give out free milk Honey B_. That was her version of the sex talk anyway.

"Average?" He tilted his head and let a sly grin sneak onto his face.

"Average. And to be completely honest, I'm not interested in a one night stand with someone who probably doesn't even have enough fingers and toes to count the number of people he's slept with. So I'm going to save myself the trouble and the STDs and excuse myself to continue celebrating…on my own." I sighed and barely made it two steps before I stumbled over my own feet and crashed to the floor.

"Fuck me!" I yelled, trying to stand up again.

"Well I tried but you wouldn't let me," the man said as he helped me up onto my feet. "What are you celebrating anyway?"

"_I_ just got a job at Sports Illustrated."

"Oh really?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"And what may I ask is it?"

"It's a Sports Magazine."

He rolled his eyes and leaned in close to me. I could almost taste his breath on my lips. Beer and peppermint. "I know that love, I mean what's the job?" He started to take a sip of his drink.

"I'm doing a full length photo feature on Edward Cullen," I boasted, pretending like I knew how much of a big shot this guy was.

He choked a little on his drink and finally swallowed. "And this Edward Cullen, you've never heard of him?" He smiled and wiped at his chin.

"No. I don't really follow sports."

"I heard he's devastatingly beautiful. And charming. And great in bed." He winked.

"Why? Do you have personal experience?" I said sarcastically.

He stared at me for a long time, his emerald eyes staring straight past mine and down into the very center of my body. It was being shaken to the core. "No," he laughed under his breath and started dragging his finger around the top of his glass. "I guess I just have an inside source." Who the hell does this asshole think he is?

"Humph," I muttered, straightening myself up. I started to walk away as he wished me luck on my job. I shook my head and tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

I found Jasper just as he was making his way back to me and toted him out of the bar. He hailed us a cab and I rested my head against his shoulder on the way back, trying to get the world to stop spinning around me. I had to be to work in six hours. I prayed to the Hangover Fairy that she would just grant me this one little wish and hold off her visit until the next time I decided to get this drunk.

Jasper helped me up to the apartment and got me some pajamas. I changed into them quickly and was about to lay down, but had this overwhelming urge to look up my new subject before I met him tomorrow. I sat down at the computer and listened to it humming to life.

I pulled up Google and typed in "Edward Cullen." There were tons of websites about him. Newspaper articles about how he had a problem with arguing with the refs, or how he'd thrown his racket down in the middle of a game. Apparently he'd just done fairly well at the French Open. There were also tons of fan sites, but I skipped over them and clicked the images tab. I didn't really care about what the guy's favorite color was, I just wanted to see what he looked like.

I blinked as the images started popping up on my screen. The bile started to rise up in my throat as I stared at the familiar piercing green eyes, mop of reddish-bronze hair and chiseled jaw. It was him. The guy from the bar was Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen was the guy from the bar. I just called my subject a manwhore. I was going to throw up. No doubt about that.

"Jasper!" I yelled. He rushed into the room as I grabbed the trash can just in time.

"Shit Bella! You were fine on the way home, why all the projectiles now?" He held my hair back as I let it all out.

I was going to get fired. Alice was going to take back that beautiful new check. I wasn't going to be able to get my new camera and probably not another job on the Western half of the country.

"I know him," I muttered.

"What? How?"

"He just hit on me at the bar…" I started to feel the warm tears slide down my face. "And I basically told him to go fuck himself." Oh God. He knows I'm his photographer. I must have looked like such an idiot, probably the butt of all his jokes for the rest of the night with his buddies.

Jasper started laughing hysterically and I did my best to punch him before the vomit started again.

He carried me to bed after he was sure I was done puking and tucked me in. He set the trash can beside me just in case and got me an Advil and a cup of water.

"Love you darlin'," he bent down and placed a kiss on my cheek. He pushed a few buttons on my alarm clock and stood up. "And you're fucked. I mean you're hilarious as all Hell, but you're fucked. Good luck tomorrow, you'll need it." He walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind him.

"Shut up!" I yelled at him before I drifted off into the darkness.

**A/N: Reviews are appreciated, but they're also not the reason I do this so I love favorites and alerts as well : ) **

**I will occasionally do fic reccs with my chapters so here is my first one:**

**If you liked the idea of Tennisward and want some more of a different variety, try Game, Set, Love by His Sparklyness. Gotta support my other Tenniswards out there.  
**


	2. Professional

**A/N: Thanks for starting on another journey with me everyone! I appreciate all your support, reviews, favorites ect. I don't like having just one chapter out, which is why I'm posting two in one day, but for the most part I will be posting once or twice a week depending on my schedule. Thanks again!**

I wasn't dead. But the head splitting pain radiating through my skull was enough to make me wish I was. I cursed at the alarm clock as it blared, almost like it was scolding me for my behavior last night. _Bad Bella. Bad Bella. Bad Bella._

I reached out and slapped it so hard that it flew across the room and slammed against the wall. _Take that bitch._

I closed my eyes tight and wished for merely five more minutes of sleep. Thankfully my second alarm clock wouldn't let me have it.

"Get up!" Jasper burst in my room clapping his hands at me. He whisked my covers off and I winced at the rush of cold air hitting my body. "Get up!"

"What's the point in even going Jazz?" I snuggled into my pillow and tried to go back to sleep.

"Bella listen to me." Jasper bent down beside me and grabbed my hand. "You, my love, are the best damn photographer out there. Sure, you fucked up, but you're going to walk into that….whatever you're walking into, with your head held high and you're going to show that asshole how much of a professional you are." He nodded towards the door. "Now get up and go shower, you smell like ass and vomit. I'll make you breakfast." He left the room and a few minutes later I heard the sizzling of the pan on the oven.

I slowly rolled out of bed and stood up too quickly. I wobbled a little and sat back down, waiting for my head to stop spinning. I finally got up and made my way out of my room and into the bathroom. I kept the water cool on purpose; it helped break me out of my funk.

I shut off the water and grabbed a towel and a robe before heading out to the kitchen. The delicious smell of eggs was absolutely mouth watering. He didn't do it much, but when Jasper actually put an effort into his food it was amazing.

He emptied the eggs onto a plate and slid it in front of me before whipping around and grabbing a fork and the salt and pepper. "Eat up," he said. I swallowed dutifully, trying to take my time and avoid the shitstorm that was in my immediate forecast.

"Wear the jacket and pants…" Jasper said, running into my room. "And the black pumps."

"Jeez Jasper do you have my underwear picked out too?"

"No, but I could." I heard him open my top drawer and started to panic. There was definitely one thing in there I didn't want him to see. And it wasn't anything with lace or underwire.

I ran into the room just as he was pulling out the small box.

"What the hell is this?"

"That…" I grabbed the box. "Is none of your business." I cleared my throat and tapped my foot, hoping he would leave before my face gave me away.

"Bella is that…?" He kinked an eyebrow.

"No," I answered too quickly. "No it's not."

"Then let me see what's in the box." He crossed his arms and smiled.

"No," I squeaked. "It's…private."

"Bella Swan you naughty girl you…." He laughed and shuffled out of the room. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks as I tucked it back away into my underwear drawer. I'd have to find a new hiding spot now otherwise he'll probably tape it to our front door or something.

I turned around and found that he'd already laid out my outfit on my bed, so I closed the door and dropped my robe to the floor. As I buttoned my dress shirt I contemplated if I should leave the top few buttons open. _Professional Bella. You're supposed to be professional._ I buttoned the top button and slipped into my shoes. I was never very graceful in high heels but I had to wear them with these pants or else they'll be dragging on the ground.

I grabbed my phone as I headed out of my room and noticed Alice had texted me the address. Of course I had no idea where it was, so I'd have to take a taxi. I should probably get going so I'm at least not late for my own firing. I grabbed my camera and my purse and started out the door.

"Have a good day honey!" Jasper said sarcastically. He waved from in front of the television. I flipped him off and closed the door.

It took me almost ten minutes to hail a taxi and I was thankful that the driver said it was a relatively short drive. He dropped me off in front of a huge warehouse looking building and I walked inside, having no clue what was about to happen. Hopefully I wouldn't even have to see Edward. Maybe she'd just fire me as soon as I stepped inside. It would sure save me a hell of a lot of embarrassment.

There was a very large front desk with a few people talking on phones or scribbling down something on a piece of paper. I wasn't really sure where I was supposed to go so I walked up to the counter and waited for someone.

"Excuse me?" I asked the first woman to get off the phone.

"Yes can I help you?"

"I'm supposed to be meeting Edward Cullen. I'm his new photographer and I'm not really sure where I'm supposed to go." I smiled and hoped I didn't sound like a complete idiot.

"Isabella Swan?" She asked.

"Yes."

"I wasn't expecting you to be so young." She looked me up and down as she stood up. "Miss Cullen told us you'd be joining them this morning. Right this way please."

She led me past a set of doors and into a large room that took up almost the rest of the building. Lines of tennis courts stood before me, almost all of them filled with someone darting quickly across the court. We moved past all of them and down the middle row, eventually coming to the corner court. There was no one on the courts around it. Completely isolated.

I picked out Alice right away and she skitted over to me and offered her hand. I expected a dejected scowl to spread across her face but I saw nothing but a smile.

"Good morning Bella! How is everything?" She shook my hand and turned back towards the court.

"It's…fine," I mumbled, a little confused.

"Good. You can set up anything you need here. Edward's just practicing with his trainer." She gestured across the court. I swallowed hard as I instantly recognized the guy from the bar standing next to a bigger guy. Edward held a tennis racquet in his hand and a ball in the other as he stepped up to one of the white lines. He blew out a big breath of air and bounced the ball up and down. One. Two. Three. Four times. He threw the ball up in the air and raised his racquet up in the air, swinging it around almost in slow motion before snapping it down on the ball as it hovered above him. He was so graceful in his actions that I almost forgot where I was, who I was. The ball flew like a rocket across the court and right into the net.

"Damn it!" Edward yelled. I looked away, almost embarrassed for some reason. The man next to Edward approached him.

"Edward your toss isn't high enough! Come on! We've talked about this before."

"Boys!" Alice yelled. "Can we pause for a moment please I have someone I want you to meet." Alice motioned them over and I diverted my eyes to the floor, too scared to see his face.

"Bella this is Emmett, Edward's trainer." I chanced a glance up and saw the big one smiling at me. He seemed pretty young, couldn't be much older than Edward.

"And this is my brother, Edward Cullen."

I held my hand out blindly and shook his.

"Guys this is Isabella Swan. Edward she'll be doing the Sports Illustrated piece on you so get comfortable. She'll be around quite a bit." Alice's phone rang and she darted away to answer it.

"It's nice to meet you Isabella," Emmett said, smiling as he walked away.

I finally looked at Edward. He was wearing that sly grin, the same from last night.

"It's Bella actually," I corrected Emmett a little too late.

Edward was stood still, flashing that smile at me like the smug bastard that he knew he was. Maybe he didn't remember me.

He leaned in close and glanced down at my wardrobe. "I think I liked the outfit from last night better…" His eyes lingered at my cleavage, which was conveniently covered up by my shirt that was buttoned up to my neck. "Bella…" He winked and walked away. My eyes fluttered as he spoke my name. The way it rolled off his tongue so effortlessly made my knees go weak.

"Bella!" Alice called. "I have to run. Feel free to take some pictures, they'll just be practicing for the next few hours." She smiled and grabbed my shoulder. "And I really appreciate you dressing all professional, but it's really not necessary. Feel free to wear regular clothes; I don't want you to be uncomfortable. You're going to be around for a while and this outfit, while incredibly adorable, is not going to work. I want to see t-shirts, jeans and sneakers tomorrow. Have fun." She smiled and walked away.

I took a deep breath and sat down on a bench alongside the court to unpack my things. I almost dropped my camera when I heard Edward screaming from across the court.

"Back the fuck off Emmett I can do it!"

I looked up as Emmett sighed and stepped back as Edward threw up another ball. I'd noticed that the entire building had fallen silent. I glanced around us and saw everyone staring at us with their jaws on the floor, shaking their heads. I guess they didn't really approve of Edward's….methods.

I causally watched Emmett and Edward work as I put my things together. I kicked off my high heels and strolled over closer to them and snapped a couple of pictures.

I kneeled down and switched some of my film out. I contemplated as I layed down on my stomach and snapped a few shots from this angle. As I zoomed in, I found myself focusing on Edward's muscles, or the way his fingers wrapped delicately around the ball, or the intense fire in his gaze the moment his racquet hit. It was mesmerizing.

"Okay give me a few laps and then hit the showers. I'll see you early tomorrow." Emmett started towards me. "It was nice to meet you Bella." He nodded and brushed past, leaving Edward and I alone.

I sat down on the bench again and started packing away my things. I couldn't help but watch Edward as he ran around the court. He passed by me three times before he disappeared into the locker room without even a glance at me.

I had to talk to him about what happened. He obviously didn't tell Alice about last night and I needed to know why. I finished packing up and started back out to the main lobby. There were far less people out than before and almost all the courts were empty. I guess morning was the perfect time for tennis because apparently no one wanted to play now. I asked someone at the front desk where the entrance to the men's locker room was and they pointed down a long hallway. They gave me a strange look as I started down it, but I didn't care. I didn't want to miss him when he left.

The hallway was completely deserted, with some chairs and a long mirror scattered along the way. I noticed the sign for the Men's Locker Room and sat down in a chair next to it. The mirror hung straight across from me and I couldn't help but noticed how disgusting I looked right now. I must have been sweating because my hair was all over the place and my face was glistening with moisture. I stood up and set my stuff on the chair so I could examine myself closer in the mirror.

I brushed some stray strands of hair back and took off my jacket, trying to cool off. My shirt was buttoned so tight to my body I felt like I was suffocating. I carefully undid the first couple buttons and whimpered in relief as the cool air touched my skin.

"That's better…" I said to myself.

"It'd be a lot better if you undid one or two more…" Edward said from behind me.

I gasped and spun around, clutching onto my neck. He stood behind me, his hair still damp from his shower and his towel thrown over his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" He picked up one end of his towel and ruffled it through his hair. "Trying to sneak some pictures of me in the shower?"

"No," I shook my head. "No I just needed to…speak with you."

"About?"

"Last night," I breathed.

He smiled and took a few more steps towards me. "Okay…talk."

He was so close that I could smell his musky soap radiating from his skin. "Um…I guess…Why do I still have a job?"

He laughed a little under his breath and rested his arm above my head as he leaned closer. "Why wouldn't you still have a job?" He wasn't discreet as he stared down my shirt.

"Well…I kind of called you a slut." I swallowed hard and tried to back up, but I couldn't go anywhere.

"Bella…I was trying to sleep with you, so it wasn't like you were lying."

"Edward?" A distant voice called from down the hallway. "Bella?" I finally turned my head and saw Alice standing wide eyed at the end of the hallway.

"Hi…" I said softly, managing a wave.

"I didn't expect you to still be here. I was just picking Edward up." She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms.

"I was just leaving…" I brushed past Edward and started down the hallway.

"Do you need a ride home?" Alice asked.

"No it's okay, I can take a taxi." I shook my head and started towards the door.

"Bella don't be ridiculous," Edward said. "We'll give you a ride. Here let me carry that for you." He grabbed my camera bag and slung it over his shoulder as we started out. I guess I didn't have a choice now. He had my baby held hostage, hanging over his perfect back. I hated to admit that I was jealous of a camera.

We jumped into a large SUV and headed towards my apartment. Alice sat in the front, dictating to the driver while Edward and I took up the backseat. He had to be the cockiest asshole I've ever met. He stared at me the entire way home and I've never felt so irritated or turned on in my entire life. He was so stubborn, so pigheaded, so ridiculous, so….unbelievably hot. I turned to stare out the window and catch my breath the rest of the way, totally aware of his eyes on me.

We pulled up in front of the apartment building and I said a quick goodbye as I hopped out. Edward jumped out and grabbed my bag for me, slipping it over my shoulder. When he wasn't being such an asshole he was kind of charming.

"Bells?" Jasper called. I spun around and saw him step out of the main entrance, dressed up nice.

"Hey! Where are you headed to?" I adjusted the camera on my shoulder.

"Dinner with the parents." He shrugged. "Do you want to join? They asked me about you."

"Oh no that's okay. I have some…pictures to develop."

Jasper nodded and turned his eyes to Edward.

"I'm Jasper," he held out his hand to him and smiled.

"Oh I'm sorry. Jasper this is Edward. Edward this is my roommate Jasper." I turned towards Alice, who was chatting away with the driver, completely oblivious to the situation. "And that little one in there is Alice, Edward's agent and sister." Alice heard her name and looked our way, completely halting her conversation. She hopped out of the car and ran around to meet us.

"Hi I'm Alice," she smiled at Jasper.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Jasper. I'm this one's roommate." He nodded over to me.

I rolled my eyes as he accentuated his accent, just like he always did when he was trying to impress a girl.

"How lovely…" Alice swayed from side to side, twirling a strand of her short dark hair between her fingers.

"Well I've got to get going, I'm going to be late already." Jasper smiled again and nodded as he walked away.

"Oh we could give you a ride, wherever you're going. It wouldn't be any trouble at all, I mean the car is already here." Alice laughed nervously and gestured to the car.

"Are you sure? I mean I don't want to trouble ya'll…"

"No. It's no trouble at all." Alice opened the door. "It'll be my pleasure…"

"Oh fuck me…" Edward grumbled under his breath. "Let's go everybody. Get in the car."

I waved to them all and went inside, straight up the stairs, past our door and up to the darkroom. I pulled out my developing tank from the shelf and wiped it dry with my cloth before pouring some developing solution into it.

I pulled out my film and loaded it onto the spool, very carefully making sure to only touch the edges of the film. After I filled the rest of the developing tank with water I slowly submerged the film and let it soak. You always have to be careful with film. If you let it sit too long it completely ruins the pictures, but if you don't let it develop enough you're screwed too. You have to find the perfect balance. Not many people used this kind of technique anymore, but I wouldn't do it any other way. Besides, my mom always used to say this way you put a little bit of yourself into the pictures instead of just uploading them onto a screen.

I waited until the perfect moment before pulling the film out and hanging it up to dry. I leaned back on my counter and waited a few more minutes, allowing the pictures to really set.

My eyes ran along Edward's form as he reached up for the ball, his arm extending way above his head. I felt the unfamiliar butterflies in my stomach as I lingered on his face, twisted up into this intense expression of…anger.

I shook my head and the thoughts away and carefully slipped out of the room, locking it behind me.

I didn't understand this guy. It was like he was Prince Fucking Charming one minute and the next he was the Spawn of Satan with a permanent hard on. An emotional whiplash. Whatever he was, there was no way I was getting involved past my job. Even if he did make my insides flip flop, and my palms sweat and my…whatever. It doesn't matter anyway.

I headed back down to the apartment and took a shower before bed. I lay down with my hair still damp, but I didn't care. I was completely exhausted, and it wasn't even a full day's work. I was just about to drift off to sleep when my phone vibrated beside me.

**Hey**

My brow furrowed in confusion at the unfamiliar number.

**Who is this? **I typed back.

**Edward.**

My fingers typed furiously at the keypad as I fought back my exhaustion.

**How the hell did you get this number?**

** Alice gave it to me.**

_Damn Alice to the fiery pits of hell. _

**What do you want? **I sighed.

**I can't just want to talk to you? **I could almost see the sly look on his face.

**I don't think you've ever just talked to a girl Edward.**

I set my phone back on my nightstand and turned over, intending to go to sleep. I jumped as my phone vibrated again.

**What are you wearing?** _Seriously?_

**Exactly my point Don Juan. Goodnight.**

I turned my phone off, but my mind wouldn't stop yelling at me. It kept telling me how fine his muscles were, or how his face looked when he was really concentrating, or how utterly breathtaking his smile was. I found myself biting down anxiously on my lip as I mentally fucked Edward against the locker room wall. I got frustrated and contemplated employing the help my friend in the underwear drawer. To be honest I haven't used it since I moved in with Jasper. It was during my phase when I was a little…curious about my body. I'd read a Cosmo the summer before I turned eighteen and they had this article on how to….you know. The day after my birthday I snuck out and went to the local sex shop to get one. If my mom had found out she would've flipped a shit or worse: ask me where I got it so she could go get one of her own. I swear sometimes it was like I was the parent and she was the child. Proves to be really embarrassing in some situations. Or I guess it did.

I tried to push the thought of my mother out of my head as I slipped out of bed and crept over to my drawer, silently pulling out the small box. I sure as hell wasn't becoming another notch on Edward Cullen's bedpost, but that didn't mean he couldn't play a central role in my fantasies. It was all make believe….right?


	3. Lessons

**A/N: Thought I'd slip in one more update for you guys this weekend. Thanks so much for all the reviews, favorites, alerts, retweets! You guys are amazing. **

** Again this story will be told completely through Bella's POV but I may throw in some EPOV outtakes or bring them out for an auction. **

I woke up again early the next morning and threw on some comfortable clothes, just like Alice had suggested. I was ever so thankful to the shoe God that I could wear my favorite pair of sneakers. Jasper made me breakfast again, a little less enthusiastic than yesterday. Mornings weren't really his thing, but he usually didn't seem this out of it.

"Morning doll," he mumbled.

"Good morning," I smiled.

"You seem quite chipper," he laughed. "Why's that?"

"I don't know." I shook my head, but couldn't shake the smile.

"What'd you do? Give yourself some happy time with your little underwear drawer friend last night?" He joked.

I felt the heat rush to my face. Did he hear me? I distinctly remember whimpering Edward's name a few times, but I didn't think I was that loud. "No," I squeaked.

He laughed under his breath but didn't press the issue. He liked to tease me, not mortify me. And I was almost to the point where I wanted to crawl back into my room and hide under the covers for the rest of my life.

I reached over and turned my phone back on, shaking my head when I didn't have any missed calls.

"He didn't call you back did he?"

"What? Who?" I asked.

"Your dad…"

"Oh," I mumbled. "No…no he didn't."

"Sweetheart I told you not to even contact him. He hasn't made the effort so why should you?"

"I'm not…making an effort. I mean I don't expect anything from him, so its not like I'm setting myself up for disappointment…" I shook my head.

"But aren't you disappointed right now?" He raised his eyebrows at me and left the room.

My relationship with my father was less than perfect. After my mom and him broke up, I barely ever saw him. Barely got birthday or Christmas cards. I talk to him every few months now but it's usually a one way conversation. I haven't even seen him in over two years.

I glanced over at my phone again.

"Fuck him…" I whispered. I grabbed my phone and deleted his number so I wouldn't have the urge to do it again. I know he's never going to call me back when I call him, but I still do it anyway. I'm done now.

I ate a quick breakfast and packed up my stuff before heading towards the practice courts. I decided to walk today since I somewhat had an idea where I was going this time. I checked in at the front desk and started down to where Edward was practicing yesterday. He wasn't out on the court yet, but Emmett was pacing back and forth bouncing a ball up and down.

"Hey Bella," he said, offering me a small wave when he saw me.

"Emmett," I nodded. I asked him what the schedule was for the day so I could plan accordingly. He said Edward would be working on serving for awhile and then they were going to play a game before he spent some time in the weight room. Emmett quietly excused himself to check on some things at the front desk, leaving me alone on the court.

I set my stuff down on the bench and started unpacking everything. I guess I could set up a few shots at that white line…the one farthest back. I wasn't sure what it was called, but it was the one he was standing at yesterday. Maybe I could get a few shots at the net or from behind.

"I can't believe you turned your phone off…you missed out on some of the best dirty texts of your life…" Edward said softly, suddenly right behind me.

I sighed and kept unpacking. "I highly doubt that." I grabbed my camera and spun around, ready to take some test shots. I didn't realize he was so close; I ran right into him.

"If you wanted to touch me sweetheart you could have just asked…" That same sly grin found its way to his face, but he didn't move away.

"Wow," I muttered to myself, surprised again by his sheer cockiness. I brushed past him and started testing the lighting towards the back of the court. I felt his eyes on me as I moved along the edge, but didn't bother telling him off.

"Edward," Emmett called. "Start off with laps today." He motioned around the court as he stalked our way again, carrying a two tennis racquets in his hands. Edward winked at me and started running. I did a few test shots, zooming in on the court or the net just to get a feel for things. Edward's form passed in front of my lens completely distracting me. I found my eyes drifting down his body to his shorts and his ass…it should be framed and put in the Louvre. I idly reached into my bag, searching for a piece of gum, while I kept my eyes on him. He turned my way just as I stuck a piece in my mouth. I inhaled deeply, violently sucking the gum to the back of my throat as I choked. He wasn't wearing a cup. Hell at this point I was wondering if he was wearing underwear at all. My eyes started watering as I tried to cough the gum back up.

"Bella are you alright?" Emmett asked, crouching down beside me.

"Yeah I'm fine," I struggled to get out. "Just…choked a little." Edward ran past me and I diverted my eyes down.

Edward ran a little longer and finally stopped to begin his serves. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and reached out for his racquet. A large container of tennis balls sat to his right. He grabbed a few and stuck all but one in his pocket before stepping up to the line. He bounced it just like yesterday. One. Two. Three. Four times. He threw it up in the air and snapped down on it. It shot across the net and over into one of the boxes. I didn't really understand the rules or anything but I guess it didn't matter, I was only taking pictures. Apparently whatever he did was good because Emmett smiled and patted him on the back.

"Good," Emmett said. "How's that new racquet feeling?" He asked.

"I like it." Edward brought the racquet up in front of him and twisted his hand around the handle. I found myself completely distracted by the way his fingers gripped onto it tightly. I never realized how lengthy and domineering his fingers were. His hand was wrapped intricately around the bottom of the racquet, accentuating each of his knuckles. My knees shook a little as I scolded myself. I bitched at him for being a crude horndog and now all I could think about was about how I wanted his magical fingers all over my body. "Such a hypocrite," I mumbled to myself.

He worked on his serves for a long time. It was hard for me to imagine being that dedicated to something so repetitive. Each time he would approach the line I noticed something else about the way he serves. Almost like a routine. He bounced the ball four times, everytime. Then he twirled the racquet in his hands before biting his lip and finishing the serve. After awhile he started adding this little grunt after he hit the ball. I felt it travel through my ears, over my chest and down to stomach, causing a flurry of butterflies. I didn't even want to think about the butterflies it gave me other places. I tried to ignore it, but it got louder and louder each time. It was almost like my ears were trained to hear it, or just like taunting me.

"Alright man, let's play!" Emmett laughed. He pushed back the large container of yellow balls and ran to the other side of the court. Emmett did his own little thing as he stepped up to the back line on his side. The ball shot like a rocket across the net and before I could even blink Edward launched it back at him. The ball went back and forth for some time, my eyes barely able to keep up with it. Edward eventually moved up closer to the net, the swing of his racquet becoming less and less as he pounded the ball back to Emmett. As Emmett's hit went flying up the air, Edward smirked to himself and pointed up towards the ball, bringing his racquet around just like he did when he was serving.

"Boom!" Edward yelled, smacking the ball as it fell to him. It dove into the net.

"Someone got a little cocky I see," Emmett laughed. Edward fell silent as he stared at the net, his shoulders heaving up and down.

"Wouldn't be the first time…" I said, not realizing I'd spoken out loud until it was too late.

Emmett laughed again, but Edward turned towards me and glared. "I'd like to see you do any better!" His hand was gripped so tightly to the racquet I thought he was going to hurt himself.

"Calm down Edward," Emmett said, reaching down and picking up the ball. Edward huffed and returned back to his place, moving over to the other side of the court. "Fifteen, love," Emmett yelled before serving again. I was really confused by the scoring, or what I assumed was scoring, but I didn't ask. Sounded complicated.

Watching Edward play an actual game was weird. It was like his entire being changed. The playful cockiness was replaced with an intense competitive side, almost to the point of anger. I've never seen him this riled up before.

"I'm done!" Edward screamed, throwing his racquet down on the ground. What a fucking whiney ass. He glanced at me, his expression softening ever so slightly, before he stormed off into the locker room. Emmett sighed and started picking up the area.

"Bella!" Alice called. I turned around and saw her skipping towards us, Rosalie in tow. "How was it today? I see he's decided to call it early." She glanced over at Emmett and narrowed her eyes playfully. She looked tired, still extremely hyper but tired.

"Not my fault he's a sore loser," Emmett offered.

"Well I'm going to take off then," I muttered, gathering up my things.

"Wait I wanted to ask you something," Alice said. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Oh you know, disarm a few missiles, feed the hungry, save the world. The usual," I joked. Emmett was the only one that laughed.

"Well we're all going to this charity event thing, you'll get used to those, we do a lot of them. Do you want to come? It's an 80's theme."

My heart fluttered a little. I had to admit that not only did I own an embarrassing amount of scrunchies, but every Brat pack movie in existence. It was kind of like my guilty pleasure.

"Yes," I blurted out, not even thinking it through.

"Great. I'll have Edward pick you up at seven. He doesn't have training tomorrow so don't come here."

"Actually I still might, just to do some complimentary shots, if that's okay?"

"That won't be a problem. I'll speak to the front desk and make sure you have access 24 hours," she nodded.

Rose skipped over and gave Emmett a quick kiss before her and Alice left.

"Wow she's changed," I muttered to myself.

"Who?" Emmett asked.

"Rosalie. We went to high school together and no offense but she was a bitch," I laughed.

"Yeah I know. It comes out every time we get in a fight," he joked. "Have a good night huh?" He smiled and disappeared into the locker room.

I packed up my things and met Jasper at home for dinner. Any other person would probably assume we were an old married couple. And I guess in ways we kind of were. Except for the thought of making out with him made me want to vomit. I've seen him naked before and I didn't ever want to meet Little Jasper again. He was just setting dinner down at the bar as I walked in the door. I placed a kiss on his cheek and took my seat.

"Thanks for making this Jazz, it looks great," I said, taking a bite.

"No problem."

"So what was your deal this morning? Late night watching porn again?" I elbowed his ribs.

"No. I….was out."

"Out?" I asked. He never went out with anyone except for me. "With who?"

"No one."

"Liar," I whispered in his ear as I stood up and set my plate in the sink. "I'm going up to the darkroom."

I grabbed my things and headed up the stairs. I started developing the pictures I'd gotten today and was surprised with how well they turned out. I mean I'm a good photographer, I know that, but these were beautiful. I had a hunch it had everything to do with my subject.

"Bells?" Jazz knocked on the door. "Can you do lunch with my parents tomorrow? They're leaving for the Caribbean and want to see you."

"Yeah sure."

I instantly regretted saying yes. I'd forgotten that I needed to go take some shots at the courts tomorrow. There's no way I could get all that done, have lunch and go shopping for stuff for the event. It would be impossible.

I sighed and put my hand on my hip. _I wonder if they're still open._ I turned on the light and checked my watch. It was after eight. I guess I could try. It'd be great to get some in and not have to worry about them later.

I gathered up my gear again and told Jasper where I was going. He offered to drive me so I wouldn't have to take a cab.

"Should I pick you up later?" He asked as he pulled up to the courts.

"No. I don't know how long I'll be." I grabbed my things and went inside.

"Excuse me are the courts still open?" I asked the woman at the desk. She looked like she was packing up her things.

"No. We close at eight." She didn't even look up at me as she turned off her computer.

"Damn," I turned around to see if Jasper had pulled away yet, but was only met with an empty street.

"Did you want to make a reservation for a court tomorrow?" She asked.

"No I…My name is Bella Swan, I'm a photographer for…"

"Mr. Cullen?" Her voice finally perked up as her demeanor shifted. She was alert and focused on me.

"Yes."

"The court is always open for Mr. Cullen and his associates Miss Swan. Miss Cullen made the arrangements for you earlier, although we expected you tomorrow. I'm leaving for the evening, the security guard will let you out when you're ready to leave."

"Oh. Okay." I nodded and slowly started towards the courts. "Is there any way I could get some balls and racquets?"

"No problem. I'll have Tom bring them out."

I made my way out onto the court and took a few shots of all the empty courts while I waited. It was kind of nice at night with no one around. Very calming for some reason.

A tall man wheeling a cart of balls stepped out onto the court. It looked like there were a few racquets resting on top as well. This must be Tom.

"Miss Swan?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Here you are. Just leave them when you're finished. I'll take care of them." He smiled and nodded, leaving me alone again on the court.

I took a lot of pictures of the racquets, trying them in all different spots. I arranged a ton of the balls in a pyramid thing and got a few snaps of them. I eyed one of the balls as I picked it up before glancing over at the racquets. It couldn't be too hard, could it?

I looked around to make sure I was alone and set my camera aside. I grabbed one of the racquets and a ball and walked up to the back line. I decided to take a cue from Edward and bounced it four times. I threw the ball up in the air and it flew out in front of me, almost halfway in the court. I scowled and grabbed another ball, too lazy to chase after that one. I threw one up again and swung absentmindedly at it, almost taking out my kneecaps in the process.

A soft laugh came from behind me, scaring me so much that I spun around and screamed.

"Yeah I know, that serve was really scary," Edward said sarcastically, raising his eyebrows at me.

"I uh….I didn't know you were still here."

He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. "Just wanted to get some extra training in. What are you doing here? Besides pissing off the tennis Gods."

"I was taking some pictures and I just…I wanted to try." I shrugged as he started towards me. I was sure he was going to rip the racquet out of my hands and tell me to go do "Hail Mary's" at the net, but he didn't.

"How's your grip?" He asked.

I choked back my surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Your grip. On the racquet. Let me see it."

"Oh." I held out my hand and suddenly his fingers were brushing over mine, twisting and contorting them the way he wanted them to be.

"Like this," he said. "Okay now step up to the base line."

"The what line?"

"The base line," he laughed. "It's this back one here." He walked over to demonstrate the geography of the court. "You always serve from the base line."

"Base line. Got it." I nodded and tried to commit that to memory.

"Well, you have to come over here," he laughed. I didn't realize I was still standing a few feet from him.

I laughed nervously and walked the few steps over to him.

"Okay." I jumped when he unexpectedly put his hands on my hips and spun me around, facing away from him. "Stand like this. Legs spread a little." He nudged his foot between my legs and gently kicked my left one forward. I felt his body incredibly close to mine. As I bent my legs, my butt accidentally brushed against him. He must have had some left over tennis balls in his pocket.

He cleared his throat and sighed before continuing with his lesson.

"Grab a ball." He nodded towards the cart.

"Just give me one from your pocket…"

"I don't have any in my pocket."

Oh sweet baby Jesus. Those were not tennis balls in his pocket, he was just happy to see me. Oh my God. I touched it. With my butt. I touched it with my butt. I gulped hard and reached out to the cart to grab a ball.

"Now the toss is very important…" he purred into my ear as I stepped forward. His finger inched along my arm and came to rest under my hand. He reached both of our arms forward. I unconsciously leaned my body slightly back towards him. "The ball should be about this far away from you and when you throw it, try to make it go as straight and as high up as possible." He gripped my hand tightly from underneath and demonstrated the motion. "Try a few."

I tossed a few, watching them go higher and straighter each time. It definitely wasn't perfect, but it was a far cry from that disaster that occurred right before he got here.

"Now we're going to hit it." He grabbed my other hand and forced the racquet behind my back, elbow sticking straight up in the air. "After you toss the ball, watch it until it's at its highest point. And as it's coming back down just…hit it." He showed me the hitting motion a few times, each time brushing his body even closer to mine. I even felt him lean in and smell my hair. "Ready to try?"

"I guess so."

He stepped back and I instantly missed the heat of his body against mine.

I tossed the ball up and took another swing at it. At least I hit the ball this time. I wasn't ready to join the ranks of the pros yet, but I think the Tennis Gods might forgive me.

"That was better." Edward smiled and stepped in front of me. "It really helps if you twist your hips more." He grabbed my hips once more and forced them around to the front. "Kind of like….fuck the air I don't know." He laughed under his breath.

I expected his hands to release me, but he didn't. My eyes traced down his exposed forearms and down to his magic fingers, which were now rubbing soft, gentle circles on my hipbones. He pulled me closer, so close that my chest bumped against his.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to tell myself to back away. I couldn't do this with him.

"Giving you a tennis lesson."

"No you aren't," I laughed darkly.

"Yes I am." He ran his finger along my jaw and I fought to keep my eyes from fluttering shut. "And I'm also trying to seduce you…We should get you in a tennis dress next time."

"I'm not seducible…" I whispered.

"I think you're wrong…" He inched his face closer to mine. _Think quick Bella._

"So how does scoring work?" I blurted out the moment his eyes closed.

He sighed and snapped his jaw shut. "Love, fifteen, thirty, forty…"

"Love?"

"Yeah." He opened his eyes and stared at me. "Love means nothing." I had a feeling there was a double meaning to his words. I almost felt uncomfortable, like I was intruding on some personal moment, even though it was just the two of us.

"Uh…what comes after forty?" I stuttered.

"Game."

I took a deep breath and stepped back, prying myself from his grip. I grabbed another ball and started bouncing it up and down to take my mind off the intense thud of my heart beating in my chest. "So…who's McEnroe?"

"Who?"

"McEnroe?"

"John McEnroe?" He laughed. "He was a tennis player. Kind of known for his bad attitude and loud outbursts during games. Why?"

"No reason." I shrugged it off.

"Alice compared me to him again didn't she?" He kinked an eyebrow.

"No," I lied.

His mouth formed a hard line as he nodded and started fidgeting with his fingers. "So Alice said you sounded pretty excited about the party tomorrow?"

"Yeah. My two favorite movies are Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink," I admitted.

"I'll have to remember that," he said softly. "So I'll pick you up tomorrow then?"

I smiled and turned towards my things.

I squealed as he slapped my ass. "Good lesson Swan!" He winked and headed into the locker room.

**A/N: I hope Edward's tennis lesson was a little informative ; ) If there are any tennis terms in the future that aren't explained I'll put them in the a/n at the end. If you have any questions feel free to ask.**

**And I'm so looking forward to the 80's party. : )  
**


	4. A Tale of Two Edwards

**A/N: Thanks for the support everyone! Now I'm a child of the 80's but even though I was a little too young at the time, the movies are some of my favorite. If you haven't seen Sixteen Candles or Pretty in Pink you really should. It's not absolutely essential in understanding this chapter but it would make it a little is a fun playlist to get you in the 80's mood on the blog www(dot)gamesetmatchfanfiction(dot)blogspot(dot)com Just turn the main one off and it should be the second post down. Enjoy.  
**

I glanced at the array of supplies in front of me and sighed. This was going to take some work. I turned on my crimper, hoping that it still worked after all these years. I found it with a ton of my mom's things, packed up in a box along with her acid wash jeans and the dress. I spun around and looked it up and down as it hung there on the back of my bathroom door. It looked like Attack of the Shoulder Pads meets the Green Poof Monster. It was perfect. I remember looking at my parent's prom picture and thinking about beautiful she looked in it. Of course the style is little outdated now and honestly a little on the ridiculous side, but it was my mom's and I loved it.

I let my robe fall to the floor and I stepped into the scratchy mess of fabric. I pulled the huge mounds of fabric up over me and zipped up the side as I smoothed it out. I spun around to look at the back of it. The dress was a little short with all the rouching but I could deal. I slipped on my favorite pair of sneakers and stepped up to the counter.

I was thankful that the costume store had this hideous blue eye shadow in stock. I laughed a little to myself as I stood back and batted my eyelashes. It looked absolutely ridiculous. Like Mimi from Drew Carey on crack.

"Bella?" Jasper knocked on the door. "I'm taking off."

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Thanks for the details, genius…" I muttered under my breath.

I crimped and teased my hair until I was sure it was defying the laws of gravity. I glanced down at the clock and felt the immense panic start to creep up. He was going to be here soon. I didn't know why I was so damn nervous about Edward picking me up. It wasn't like it was a date. Right? Or was it? Oh God what if this is a date?

I gulped hard and gave myself one last look before heading out of the bathroom. I glanced out the window, looking for any sign of him. I assumed with his cocky ass he'd have a limo parked outside, but I didn't see anything.

I felt my phone vibrate in my sequined purse and I knew it was him.

**I'm here.**

I looked out the window again. I still didn't see him.

**Okay I'll be right down.**

I stuck my phone back in my purse and headed out the door. I tapped my foot anxiously as the elevator descended, granting strange looks from the couple standing beside me. I had a feeling it had nothing to do with my impatience.

I stepped out into the lobby and towards the front door. The doorman greeted me with a nod as he opened the door. I still didn't see him. I crossed my arms and looked around, waiting for him to pull up in his big fancy car. I sighed as the traffic started to clear, leaving the street in front of me almost deserted. Almost.

A red T-top Porsche sat across from me. Edward leaned causally against it, almost unrecognizable. I squinted and finally saw the familiar mop of bronze hair and sly grin behind the weird glasses, hat and vest.

"Wow," I breathed as he started towards me.

"I wasn't sure if you were a Jake Ryan or Duckie fan, so I went with both," he shrugged.

"I think I'm actually digging the combo," I smiled.

He held out his arm to me and led me across the street. He opened my door for me and I sat down, wondering how he found the car. It looked exactly like the one in Sixteen Candles.

"Phew," he said as he closed his door. "I wasn't sure if we could both fit in here with those mammoth growths on your shoulders."

I slapped him playfully on his chest. "Shut it. It was my mom's prom dress."

He leaned towards me and slid his glasses down his nose as he stared at me. "Well all I can say is you're lucky I like you, Swan. I was planning on going for the Tom Cruise-no pants-Risky Business look."

"Isn't it illegal to walk around with no pants on?"

"Ha." He pushed his glasses back up and put the car in drive. "By the way is there some kind of animal living on your head?" He winked and barely moved away before I slapped him again.

We pulled up to one of the hotels in town and the valet took our car. There was a line of photographers and a red carpet waiting outside, along with a clusterfuck of people. I had no idea what to do so I just ducked behind some people and headed towards the door to wait for Edward. A group of younger girls started screaming at him and he walked over to take some pictures and sign some autographs.

Once he actually started his walk down the carpet and past the line of paparazzi it was a flurry of flashbulbs and screaming.

"Edward!"

"Edward over here!"

"Give us a smile!"

"Are you here alone Edward?"

They didn't even give him time to answer and he didn't even bother. I laughed a little as he tried to run his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit I noticed, but his hat was in the way.

"Tanya!" One of the photographers yelled. "Tanya step in with Edward. Let's get a few pictures!"

A leggy strawberry blonde stepped next to Edward wearing an old ragged concert tee, leggings, and a bandana. She flashed a nauseating smile and put her arm around Edward's shoulders. After a few more minutes, Edward finally made his way to me.

"Sorry," he smiled. He held out his arm again and we started into the hotel.

"Edward! Wait up!" Miss Smiley ran to catch up with us. "Oh!" She stopped when she spotted me. "I didn't…realize you brought a date."

"It's not really a date. She's my photographer."

"Hmm…" She said, looking me up and down. I couldn't decide if I was more upset about the brush off or the fact that this girl looked like she wanted to gag me with her bandana and throw me in the river. I knew with this heap of a dress I'd sink right to the bottom.

"Bella this is Tanya Denali. Tanya…Bella Swan."

Tanya nodded in my direction and I offered her a smile, nothing more. I could tell there was some kind of awkward tension in the air but I had no idea what it was. I cleared my throat and waited.

"Bella! Edward!" Alice squealed from behind me. She jumped out and wrapped her arms around me, almost impaling me with her pointy bra.

"Wow Alice. You look perfect," I said taking in her Desperately Seeking Susan ensemble.

"Thank you." She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, leaving Edward and Tanya alone at the entrance. We entered a huge ballroom looking like the 80's vomited all over it. I smiled and listened to the music as Alice pulled me towards the bar.

"Can I have two Melon Ball shooters please?" She asked the bartender.

"Make that four!" Rosalie called, suddenly beside me. She smiled and swung her side ponytail around. Valley Girl. How perfect. Emmett waved his sequined gloved hand at me and smiled.

The bartender slid the shots down our way and we downed them quickly, instantly asking for another.

"I'll be right back," Alice said, scooting off into the crowd.

"You look great Bella," Rose said, nudging me with her elbow.

"Thanks."

"Where's Edward?"

"Last I saw him he was talking with Tanya." I shrugged and ordered another drink.

"Tanya Denali?" Her face scrunched up in confusion as I nodded. "I'm going to kill him."

"Why who is she?"

"Another tennis pro, ex-girlfriend and all around slut bag. I've been trying to keep her away from him. All she's looking for is a quick fuck. Excuse me." She held up a finger and pulled Emmett away, leaving me alone. I turned around and looked out at the dance floor as I sipped on my drink. I couldn't explain it but I felt an intense jealousy for Tanya. She was obviously special if she ever held the title of Edward Cullen's girlfriend. He just doesn't seem the settling down type to me.

"Excuse me miss?" A guy tapped on my shoulder. I turned casually towards him and raised my eyebrows. "Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?"

"When you fell from Heaven."

"Really?" I shook my head. "Isn't that pick up line getting old?"

"It's the eighties baby, it's brand new."

I couldn't hide my smile as he leaned up against the bar next to me.

"I'm Jake." He held his hand out.

"Bella."

"Not Bella Swan. Not Edward's Bella?"

My heart fluttered a little as the words slipped out of his mouth. Edward's Bella.

"Um…I guess so. Why?"

"That was supposed to be my feature until that bastard Cullen swooped in and stole it from me."

"So you play tennis too?"

"You've never heard of me?" He asked, feigning shock. "Jacob Black?"

"I don't really follow sports. I didn't even know who Edward was when I first met him…"

"You live a sheltered life Bella Swan."

"Not really, I'm just athletically challenged." My eyes wandered around the room, finally catching sight of Edward. He was walking into the room with Tanya, who was firmly attached to his arm. I guess Rose didn't find them. Tanya laughed and lightly touched his chest. _Mine_, I thought. Edward's eyes finally met mine and his smile instantly faded as he tried to distance himself from Tanya. I shouldn't have been upset. I knew he flirted with everyone, it was just who he was. I had no claim to him just because he taught me to play tennis or changed his plans to make me happy or teased me all the time. That didn't mean anything to him. I was starting to realize that it meant something more to me, even though I tried not to admit it. He was a player, a tease. And I refused to be another conquest.

"Bella?" Jake said.

"What?" I asked, not breaking away from Edward's stare. His eyes shifted towards Jake and I swear I could see his fists tense at his sides.

"I asked you if you wanted to dance."

I finally turned towards Jake and smiled. "I'm sorry….I don't really dance. I'd probably embarrass you."

"Well I'm already going to embarrass myself so it won't matter." He grabbed onto my hand and started to pull me out onto the dance floor. I glanced at Edward one last time before I was whisked away and all I could see was a flash of him storming towards the bar.

Jake and I disappeared into the crowd on the dance floor. He started jumping around, completely out of sync with the music.

"You really suck!" I yelled over the music as I laughed at him.

"I know." He grabbed my hand and twirled me around before pulling me close. The song ended and a slow one started up. I looked nervously up at Jake, contemplating that awkward moment of "Should we?" or "Shouldn't we?" He didn't give me time to answer. He wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me in. I smiled and snaked my arms around his neck.

I tried to drown out anything but the music, but I couldn't shake this feeling of someone watching me. As Jake spun me around I spotted Edward at the bar. He was leaned against it, sipping on a drink, his eyes searing into Jake. I had a feeling they weren't on friendly terms.

Jake spun me around again and again, his hand slipping lower on my back each time. I shuddered a little as his hands grazed over my ass.

"Jake, I really don't think…" I started.

"Can I cut in?" Edward asked, suddenly beside us. His nostrils flared as he reached for me, almost like he was staking his claim.

"Cullen," Jake mumbled.

"Black." Edward nodded and whisked me away.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked once we were far enough away.

"I didn't like him…touching you like that."

"Why not?" I asked. I already knew the answer. It didn't take much to see that Edward was competitive, possessive. I had no idea why he was acting that way with me, but the signs were clear.

"So are you having fun?" He asked, changing the subject.

"I guess so. Alice disappeared." I shrugged my shoulders as we swayed slowly to the music. Edward pulled me closer and I instinctively rested my chin on his shoulder.

He laughed under his breath and gestured towards the dark corner to our right. I instantly spotted Alice's outfit mashed up against some guy. His leather jacket was almost halfway off from their intense make out session.

"Who the hell is…" I stopped when I recognized Jasper's mess of hair. "Oh God…" My eyes grew wide as I pulled back, trying not to laugh.

"They've been meeting every night," he whispered in my ear.

"Well that puts a lot of things into perspective," I laughed, remembering how tired and cranky he'd been lately. He'd been sneaking out to do God knows what with Alice.

Edward smiled and nestled his cheek against mine. I closed my eyes, relishing the feeling of his skin next to mine. The song ended, but he didn't move. His hands gripped tighter onto my hips and pulled them towards his.

"No wonder Black wanted to put his hands all over you, you look delicious."

I felt his hands started to wander over my body. For some reason it felt different with Edward than it did with Jacob. Almost like every inch of me was on fire, in a good way. My body unconsciously melted into his, my knees almost going weak with his touch. I almost let myself go completely, right on the dance floor in front of everyone. The instant I caught Tanya's stare I stepped back. It was almost like a bitch slap into reality.

"I'm sorry…" I mumbled, rushing off the dance floor. I searched for the first dark, empty hallway I could find and ducked inside. I closed my eyes and leaned up against the wall, the cool rush sobering me up.

I didn't have to see him to know he followed me. I could feel him the moment he stepped in the hallway.

"Why'd you run away from me?" He stood in front of me, so close that our chests barely touched.

"I don't know if I can do this…" I pleaded, thinking of making my second escape. He blocked my way, placing his hands on either side of me, palms flat against the wall.

"You've been driving me crazy all night Bella. The moment I saw you step out of that building…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "That dress was made for you baby." He paused and looked me over, tracing a finger down the middle of my chest and across the fabric on my stomach. "Hugs your curves in all the right places…" His finger grazed over my hip and around to my ass. "I wanted you…so bad. I completely lost it when I saw his hands all over you. It should be me." I whimpered as he squeezed my ass. "This should be mine."

"Edward please," I protested. This was crossing a line that I wanted crossed. But it would change everything. It would change me.

"Tell me no Bella…." He reached his other hand up and tilted my neck up. He leaned in and grazed his lips down my jaw. "Tell me to stop."

His finger slipped down from my hip and over my center, where I instinctively pushed my hips to him.

"Good girl…" He whispered into my ear. "I want to kiss you…taste you all over."

He continued south until he met the hem of my dress. My breath hitched in my throat as he slipped his finger under the fabric.

_No Bella. Stop him now. You're going to get hurt. _

"Edward stop," I breathed. His movements halted and he pulled back, a look of confusion across his face. "You don't want this." I shook my head, trying to convince myself more than him. "You're just drunk and I just happen to be here."

His jaw snapped shut and he stepped back again, creating space between us. This is what I wanted to avoid. This empty feeling. I felt so alive every time he touched me, but the withdrawal was torture. He was like a drug, the worst kind. The kind that leaves its victims shaking on the floor, completely void of any coherent thoughts.

He bit down on his lip as he shook his head. "I'm not…drunk." He cussed under his breath as he started down the hallway, forcing one of the doors open with a rough slam.

I stood there for a few moments trying to catch my breath before starting back out to the party. Alice and Rosalie stood at the bar with two very familiar guys.

"Emmett," I said nodding towards him. "Jasper." I narrowed my eyes at him. He shrugged.

"Where'd you run off to?" Alice asked.

"Nowhere."

"Have you seen Edward?"

"No."

"He's probably holed up somewhere banging the coat check girl…" She crossed her arms and stared out at the dance floor.

"Miss?" The bartender asked.

"Yes." I spun around towards him.

"Do you know if Mr. Cullen will be returning for his drink?"

_Not drunk my ass_. "No. I'll take it though." He hesitantly handed me the drink and I took a sip. It was water. Plain and simple water. Operation "Make Bella Feel Like an Ass" was in full affect. He wasn't drunk.

"I…have to go." I set the drink down and darted out, towards the hallway. I checked all the doors. They were all locked except for one. I pushed open the door labeled "Roof Access" and started up the stairs.

The roof was mostly dark, illuminated only the surrounding city lights. I spotted his shadow and started over towards him. I sat down beside him and pulled my knees up to my chest.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't know you weren't drinking…"

"I don't really drink."

"But that first night…"

He laughed under his breath. "That was an exception. And I paid for it the next day." He pulled his knees up to mimic mine and rested his head on them. "I used to drink. A lot. And I still do every once in awhile, but it got in the way of my game." He shook his head. "God I love it so much. I refused to let anything ruin it. It got pretty bad before I decided to make it better. It's tough in this kind of environment Bella, I won't lie. I slip up every now and then. But all I have to do is walk out on an empty court with my racquet and a ball in hand to make everything better. It's like my sanctuary." This was a new Edward. He was so vulnerable, so incredibly honest. I may have been naïve but I felt like he wasn't like this with many people. He'd given me something so personal and for some reason I felt like I needed to return the favor.

"My mom died…three years ago. Cancer. My dad and her split up when I was little and he was never really around. I was okay with it I guess. But when she got her diagnosis, I knew….I thought for sure he'd show up to help me take care of her. I thought he'd finally be a father to me and at least a friend to her. He never showed. Not even at her funeral." I nodded as I finished, almost feeling a bit of relief that someone other than Jasper knew. It was hard for me to talk about and I knew it was big that I was opening up to this man I'd really just met.

Edward didn't say anything as he reached over and took my hand in his. I hated seeing him sad, but I wish this side of Edward would stick around. Sure the cocky, smug, bastard thing was incredibly sexy, but this was something more.

"Edward?"

He turned towards me.

I cleared my throat. "You can kiss me," I mumbled, averting my eyes to the ground in fear of rejection. "I mean…if you still want to."

I felt his finger move softly under my chin, titling my face back up to his. "I still want to," he whispered. He glanced down at my lips and instant before he pressed his against them. This kind of kiss was unexpected, especially from him. Soft, gentle, sweet. Perfect.

"Edward," I said, my eyes still closed. "Why aren't you like this all the time?"

He froze against me. "I don't know," he mumbled. "We should get back." He stood up and reached down to help me up. I sighed and took his hand. I started towards the door, still dizzy from the kiss and his mood swings.

"God Bella you have a great ass…" He laughed. I sighed, realizing the old Edward had escaped once more, pushing the other one back into the darkness. I wondered to myself if he would ever make an appearance again. I was starting to like him.

**A/N: Oh Edward...pulling the little switcheroo once you realized you were actually being a nice guy huh? Tsk Tsk. Not that I mind bad Edward, JS. Let me know what you thought. I love reading all your reviews, they make my day. Thanks!**


	5. Tease

A week later my head was still spinning from that kiss, his subsequent dismissal, and the wake of unanswered questions. I knew who he was. He was manipulative. He was vulgar and crude. He was so incredibly sexy. And I let him kiss me like that. Ever since then everything's changed, for me anyway. He's acting completely normal, or what's normal for him. He still winks at me or compliments me on what I'm wearing. Or tells me how much he wants to serve me with his racquet. Normally I would have just shrugged it off, but now everything meant more to me. And it was my fault. I knew nothing good would come of this and that I was only going to end up getting hurt. But that didn't stop the butterflies in my stomach from taking flight every time he smiled at me. That little weasel had wormed his way into my head and that was fucking me more than my little underwear drawer friend.

It was Saturday, but I was still up early because Edward was shooting some commercial today. I was going to take some behind the scenes shots. I grumbled a little as I brushed my teeth, cursing him that I had to be awake this early on a weekend. My camera equipment was already packed up and ready to go so I grabbed it on my way out. I opened my door and nearly tripped over something. I fell straight into the wall and gasped as my ankle twisted painfully.

"Shit!" I yelled, grabbing my ankle and secretly smiling that it was hurt and not my precious camera. "Who the hell put this right at my door?" I whispered. I glanced over at the box and sighed. It was tied together delicately with a large red bow. I crawled over and reached for the tag. My name was written in plain simple script. There was no message, no indication of who it was from. I quickly untied the bow and pulled open the box. Beneath the mountains of tissue paper was a pleated skirt, with a Nike label clearly embroidered on the waistband. Another piece of paper flittered onto my lap.

_I'd love to see you wearing this. –Edward_

"That perverted little…" I muttered to myself. I hurried inside and set the box in my room. I'd never hear the end of it if Jasper found it.

I hailed a cab and gave him the address Alice had sent me. Apparently they were shooting the commercial at some small studio.

When I got to the place I showed them my identification and told them why I was there. The security guard led me down a hallway and to the last door. He whispered something to the guy standing outside before opening the door for me.

I walked into a large room, the floor completely covered in wires and cords. Across the room I could see a line of people standing and pointing in front of them. I made my way over and spotted Alice on her phone towards the back of the group. By the looks of it, whoever she was talking to was not going to have a good day. She smiled and waved at me as I passed.

"Okay guys we're going to run through the skit one more time, then we'll send you back to hair and makeup before shooting," one of the taller man said. He spoke quietly into his headpiece and took a sip of his coffee. I tried to push my way through the crowd and finally made it towards the front. I peered around the big guy in front of me and finally saw Edward.

He sat on a bench in the middle of the set. Several lockers stood behind him, one draped with a towel and another wide open with a single can sitting inside.

"Okay action!" The man yelled again.

Edward ran his fingers through his hair and I laughed a little under my breath, wondering if that was actually in the script.

"I play hard." He stood up and pulled his shirt off as he walked around to one of the lockers. "On and off the court. And if I want to be a star player, I use Star Body Spray."

A girl suddenly came into view, wearing close to nothing. She sauntered across the set and smiled at Edward as she ran her finger across his chest. "You're MVP in my book…" she purred.

My jaw literally dropped to the floor. First of all, what the hell is a girl doing in the middle of a men's locker room? Secondly, who wrote this God-awful script? It was like a soap opera on crack.

Edward and the girl both turned towards the camera and flashed a smile.

"Alright that was great guys!" The director yelled. "Go to hair and makeup and let's get this thing done."

Everyone started talking amongst themselves and I followed Edward and his skank down a hallway. We came to a small room with a few large vanity mirrors and chairs. As soon as they walked in they were surrounded by a team of people that started pulling at their hair and poking at their face. I stood in the back and snapped a few pictures. Edward's eyes briefly connected with mine in the mirror and he smiled. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks and started fumbling with my camera to avoid the embarrassment. I couldn't let him see the way he affected me. And he did so completely.

The crew finally told them they were ready to go and sent them out of the room.

Edward lingered a few moments, eyeing me in the mirror. After everyone left, he stood up and made his way over to me.

"Did you get my gift?" He smirked.

"I did."

"I'm training tonight, but come over later…" He winked and left the room.

I spent a couple minutes taking some shots of the empty chairs. Mirrors were my favorite things to play with. Reflections were always interesting on camera. Sometimes you catch things you never would have before. Things people didn't want you to see. Things people were trying to hide. I scooted over to the corner of the room and zoomed in and out with my camera, trying to catch the right line in the mirror.

My breath hitched in my throat when they came into focus. Outside of the room, hidden around a corner I could see Edward. Or at least the back of him. He had her pressed up against the wall while he devoured her neck. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, grinding her hips against his.

"Edward," she giggled. "I just had my makeup done and now you're messing it all up."

I felt like I was going to throw up, but I wouldn't give him that. I refused. I packed up my things, trying to hold back the tears that were starting to form in the corners of my eyes. Maybe if I was quick I could just scoot by them and he wouldn't see me.

Just as I was about to step out of the room, Alice started down the hallway.

"Edward! Playtime is over, you have a commercial to shoot." She didn't even seem fased by the fact that he was practically dry humping his cast mate in the hallway.

I stood frozen, at a loss of what to do. I set my camera down and placed my hands on the countertop, trying to steady myself. My stomach was in fucking knots. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, deciding to wait and leave the room after they'd gone. I could not….would not see him like this. I don't know if I could stop myself from slapping that stupid motherfucker for making me feel like this. It was only one stupid kiss, why was I so upset right now? I knew that this was who he was and I still let it happen.

When I opened my eyes again Edward was standing in the hallway, his eyes wide as he stared at me. We just watched each other for a few moments. I tried desperately to control my breathing, but it came out in short, hard breaths.

"Bella…" He said smoothly.

"Don't…" I shook my head. "Don't."

"Bella please…" He took a step inside and closed the door, trapping both of us inside.

"Please what?" I spun around. "This…" I motioned between us. "This is nothing. I knew who you were when I let…that happen and I shouldn't have expected anything less from you. It doesn't matter."

"She doesn't matter to me," he said.

"And apparently neither do I. I was just another conquest for the famous Edward Cullen to take. Well fuck you. Now let me through." I waved my hand, asking him to step aside.

"No."

"Let me…through." I looked through him, trying to plan my escape. I couldn't breathe.

"No. I want to talk about this."

"Edward let me fucking go!" I screamed. I got tired of waiting and physically pushed him out of the way. I pulled the door open, but his fist slammed down, slamming it shut.

"I don't want…to let you go." He pressed his body against mine. "I don't want to." He shook his head and inched his lips towards mine.

"Don't do that," I whispered.

He pressed his forehead to mine and let his hands wander up to caress my cheek. As soon as his lips brushed against mine, my whole plan of resistance completely disappeared. His tongue darted out and ran along my bottom lip.

"Edward…" I mumbled against his lips.

My fingers fisted onto his shirt and pulled him closer.

"Edward!" Alice called from outside. His lips froze on mine and he pulled back an inch,

"Be right out…" He called, keeping his eyes on me. They were hooded and as intense as I've ever seen them. "I'm not finished with you yet."

He slipped the door open behind me and slid out, leaving me more confused than ever. I buried my face in my hands and slid down the back of the door.

"God what the fuck are you doing Bella?" I shook my head and cursed again.

A tease. That's all that he was. He was always pushing me to the edge and leaving me wanting more. It was so frustrating. Now I was all hot and bothered and just…pissed. He had no idea what this was like.

I couldn't understand why I didn't just stop him. I could have pushed him, slapped him, but my body betrayed my mind just like it always did when I was around him. I hated to admit that I liked him. I liked Edward Cullen. I liked his cocky, conceited, all wrong for you style and it made me hate myself. I told myself I'd never be that girl who would fall for a guy like that. I was the one who called them stupid, but when its you and he's giving you all these…feelings you never knew you had? It's different.

I faked sick and told Alice I had to go home. I had to figure out what I was going to do about this little situation.

I decided to walk back to the apartment at the risk of getting lost. I needed to clear my head and the cool Seattle air was the perfect environment for it.

By the time I made it back to the apartment, I was more confused than ever. Jasper eyed me from the couch as I walked in.

"I talked to Alice. She said you left like….five hours ago, are you okay?" He started to get up. I shook my head and started towards my room, closing the door behind me.

Jasper knocked on my door ten minutes later and slipped inside with a container of ice cream and two spoons. He plopped down on my bed beside me and handed me a spoon.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, taking a scoop.

"I don't think I can…" I shook my head.

"Ouch."

"No it's not that I….it's just…Alice can't know Jasper. And I don't know about you two and I don't want to put you in that position."

"Bells you're my best friend. If it needs to stay between us than it'll stay between us."

I took a deep breath and a spoonful of Ben and Jerry's before I started.

"It's Edward. I mean we've…we kissed a couple of times and….there was a lot of groping."

"And what? He's got a toothpick for a dick?"

"No," I laughed. "Well I don't really know…about that. It's just that he kind of…gets around I guess and I don't want to be that kind of girl. But he just keeps coming back to me and I can't resist him. It scares me."

"So you basically think that Edward thinks of you as one of the regular whores he screws and you're worried that it might mean more to you than that?"

"I don't know," I sighed. "I mean I haven't known him that long so I'm obviously not in love with him or anything, but I like him. And when I'm around him I get these butterflies all through my body."

"You have a crush on Edward Cullen," he smiled.

"I know, but he doesn't do crushes. He's not the type of guy a girl like me should have a crush on."

"So do you want advice from a guy?" Jasper leaned in and kissed my cheek.

I shrugged.

"If you really want to know how he feels about you, tease him right back. I wouldn't suggest to outright make him jealous, but pay attention to how he acts when you're around other guys. If he really thinks of you as another one of his girls than he won't care. Guys don't tend to get jealous or frustrated if they don't care about a girl. He could just find someone else to fuck and not have a care in the world. But if he flips….he likes you Bella. And yeah it might be hiding underneath a mound of assoholic behavior, but if you like this guy as much as you think you do than it might be worth the risk to find out."

"So he might be a nice guy in jerk's clothing?"

"Might be. Might not be. I don't know the guy, but Alice loves him a lot. And she seems to have good taste in men." He winked and got up, leaving the ice cream behind for me.

I took a few more bites of ice cream and looked around the room. My eyes fell on the package I'd received from Edward earlier and for a second I actually contemplated. It would be bad. It would be oh so terribly horrible of me. It wasn't who I was or who I wanted to be. But for some reason Edward Cullen made me want to…misbehave.

I jumped up and threw my clothes off as I reached for the package. I put it up on the bed and stared at the skirt for a minute, wondering if I was really going to do this. I sighed and pulled on the skirt, along with a pair of lace boy shorts underneath. I threw on a sports bra and a low cut tank top before I rushed out of the apartment, a trench coat covering me.

I was hoping he'd be there alone, like he was that first night.

The front desk was already closed but the security guard recognized me.

"Is Mr. Cullen here?"

"Yeah. He should be finishing up relatively soon. Go on in." He held the door open for me and I skipped inside.

I spotted him across the courts. He stepped up to the base line and did his little routine he always does. I waited until he was finished and cleared my throat.

"Bella. What are you doing here?" He wiped the sweat from his forehead and started towards me. "I thought you were coming over later?"

"I just wanted another tennis lesson." I shrugged and peeled the trench coat off. I shivered a little as I set it down on the bench and bent over to tie my shoe a little tighter.

I smiled when I heard his racquet drop to the floor, knowing my little get up had served its purpose.

"So what am I learning today?" I asked, spinning around.

"You expect me to be able to focus with you dressed like that…"

"No." I grabbed an extra racquet and went to the other side of the net. "Come on Edward, give it to me." I leaned over, clearly exposing my cleavage.

"Are you playing with me Swan?" He kinked an eyebrow and smiled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Alright," he laughed. "I'll play your game, but we're playing by my rules afterward." He sauntered over to my side of the court. "I guess we'll work on forehands. Are you left handed or right handed?"

"Right handed."

He stepped next to me and was about to touch my hand but I pulled away.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. "I thought you wanted a lesson."

"I do. You can tell me what do without touching me. I know you're trying to charm me out of my little tennis skirt but I'm just telling you its not happening. No touching." I smiled, reveling about how crazy this was going to make him.

He sighed and moved a little closer to me.

"Okay you want your grip to be like this," he showed me with his hands. "And with your forehand you're going to want to use just one hand."

"Grip the shaft with one hand. Got it." I followed his lead with my own racquet.

He shook his head and cleared his throat before continuing. "Now when you go after a ball you want to turn your whole body like this." He reached out to touch me but I backed away again with a large grin on my face. "Sorry I forgot." He turned his body like he wanted me to turn mine and I mimicked his stance. "Swing in a low to high fashion, so start with the racquet pretty far back and mid level. And when you swing follow through over your shoulder." He demonstrated a few times. "I'll feed you some balls."

"I bet you'd love to," I said sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes and jogged to the other side of the court. He hit a couple of balls over to my side. I completely missed the first few and I expected him to laugh but he didn't. The first one I hit flew over his head and hit the ceiling. It took me over twenty tries before I even hit one in bounds and it wasn't even that great.

"Well I think I'm done for the night." I started off the court. "Thanks for the lesson, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"What?" I set the racquet down and turned towards him.

He stared at me in disbelief before stomping towards the locker room. "Forget it. I just wanted to show you something…"

"I bet you did."

"Never mind. It's okay…I'll just show you some other time." He shrugged and disappeared behind the door.

Believe it or not that asshole peaked my interest. I sat down on the bench and watched the door for a long time after he left. I happen to possess two of the most annoying traits known to man. I was curious and gullible and the two together were a lethal combination that always got me in trouble. I told myself not to follow him, but apparently my feet didn't listen. I found myself slowly opening the men's locker room door and stepping inside. And there I was….the girl in the men's locker room that I was bitching about earlier.

"Edward?"

I took a few more steps inside and turned the corner. I made my way down each row of lockers, finding them completely empty. The sound of the showers caught my ear somewhere in the distance.

"Edward?" I called again. "I'm coming over there so you better not be naked." I secretly wished he was naked. Please God let him be naked. I'd given him fair warning that I was here right? So it wasn't like I was surprising him or anything. He had plenty of time to cover up if need be.

I finally spotted a small archway, steam slowly pouring out. Those must be it. I held my breath and peeked my head around the corner. The showers were empty.

"That didn't take long…" Edward said, suddenly behind me. I spun around and backed up to the cold tile wall.

"You knew I would come in here didn't you?" I shook my head. "Stupid."

He smirked and twirled his racquet around in his hand.

"Bella," he purred, taking a step closer. "I know exactly what you're doing here." He looked me up and down. "You're trying to tease me, I get it."

"It's not very fun is it?" I asked.

"It's actually very fun. Do you want to know why?" He leaned in close, so close I could feel his breath on my ear. "Because you couldn't resist me if you tried," he whispered, his voice husky.

My knees wobbled a little as my breathing increased, becoming more and more frantic with every word.

Edward chuckled and glanced down my body again. He took hold of his racquet and ran the handle along my calf. "Do you feel those goosebumps? Those are from me and I haven't even….touched you." He watched my body react with a fascinated look on his face. Almost like he was studying a piece of art in a museum. His racquet continued up to my thigh and scraped at the hem of my skirt.

"Edward what are you doing?" I whispered, half mumbling.

"Just an experiment," he smirked, looking down. "Don't worry I won't touch you. I'll follow your rules."

I let out a shaky breath as he lifted my skirt up a little.

"I didn't take your for a lace girl…" he said, bringing his eyes back to mine.

I felt the tip of his racquet graze across the skin of my inner thigh and continue up. I whimpered as it brushed across my sensitive area, right along the seam of my underwear.

"Interesting…" he cocked his head to the side.

My eyes fluttered shut as he continued his path, back and forth. The tingling sensation started deep in the pit of my stomach and started coursing through my entire body. I bit down on my lip to disguise the moan that was about to escape.

"It's okay to let go Bella…" He lifted the racquet and ran it along the top of my underwear before dipping it inside. "Come on baby…" He whispered, moving the racquet more roughly against me. I felt the pressure building up, so intense that I let out a cry of frustration. A spring suddenly snapped inside me and a wave a pure ecstasy crashed through my entire body, leaving me gasping for air.

Edward just watched, his eyes on fire while I came down from my high.

"You're so beautiful when you…" Edward started.

"Shut up!" I yelled, completely irritated. My plan had failed miserably. I was supposed to make him want it, but not let him have it. And he just had me in the most satisfying way. I could only imagine the confidence boost that'd just given him.

Edward smirked and laughed a little under his breath as he disappeared around the corner into the showers. A moment later he threw his shirt and shorts out onto the floor beside me.

As soon as I was calm enough I ran from the locker room to get away from the naked sex God on the other side of the wall. I already knew I had no self control with him, and if I didn't before I did now.

I hurried back home and threw that damn skirt in the corner of the room. It started this whole thing and now I hated it. I don't care how good it made my legs look. That little shit was grounded for the rest of its pathetic life. Maybe I'd have a ritual burning just to prove my point.

I tried to sleep but I couldn't shut my mind off. I crept over to Jasper's room and slipped inside. He always had this way of calming me down when I was a frantic mess. I crawled into his bed, just like I always did when I was upset. He instantly put his arms around me and pulled me close.

"Jazz?"

"Hmmm…" he mumbled, half asleep.

"I'm never listening to you again."

"What happened?" He started rubbing my back.

"I basically just got fucked by a tennis racquet."

His whole body started to shake with laughter.

"It's not funny!" I slapped his chest.

"It's hilarious. Did you use protection?"

"If you don't shut up right now, I swear I'll tell Alice that you have an incurable rash on your dick."

He closed his mouth and was immediately silent.

**A/N: I honestly love this little game Edward and Bella are playing, its incredibly entertaining. Bella's fighting with herself and her little plans always end up biting her in the ass. **

**A few things, first of all thank you again for all of your support. I've had quite a few inquiries about Edward POV and how much you want to hear from him. So I've decided that if/when we hit 750 reviews I'll do an Edward outtake and let you guys choose it. I don't do this for the reviews, but I really appreciate it when people do so it'll be a little thank you for that.**

**Also, Happy Father's Day and Happy Birthday to Edward! Whoop! Too bad we aren't a few chapters ahead or it would have landed perfectly. Anyway, all in good time.**

**I'm reccing a new story by my wonderful prereader secamimom called Can't Stay Away, its got an amazing plot and she's off to a great start so check it out and show her some love : )**

**That's it for now, keep checking the blog for teasers and news on when the next update will be. Have a good day : )  
**


	6. Charity

Edward had some kind of charity tournament the next day. I had a feeling Alice wasn't lying when she said we'd be doing a lot of charity events. It kind of added another facet to the mystery of Edward. I mean I'm sure all athletes, no matter how good of a person they were, do charity events. It was part of being a celebrity. But as I stood there watching Edward with those little kids something melted in my heart. He wasn't faking it.

I tapped my finger against my camera as I watched him bend down so he was eye level with the girl in the wheelchair.

"Hi sweetheart. What's your name?" He smiled.

"Chelsea," she smiled.

"Well it's nice to meet you Chelsea. Are you excited to watch the games?"

She nodded and looked away, shy.

"Alright." Edward stood up. "Are you gonna yell for me when I come out?"

She nodded again and laughed.

"I'll be listening for you Chelsea. Have fun okay?" He waved and disappeared into the tunnel that led back to the locker rooms.

I bit my lip and looked around before starting towards the spot he walked through. The tunnel was littered mostly with players, photographers and a few celebrities who were participating in the event. I guess each professional player was being paired with a celebrity, which I'm sure Edward was going to hate. I knew he loathed losing and depending on who he was paired with, he was might lose. Badly. He wasn't going to take that well at all.

I brushed past the people lining the tunnel, but I didn't see him. I eyed the men's locker room but didn't dare go in. I mean I know I'd been in one less than 24 hours ago but that was a completely different situation and I didn't feel like getting thrown out of the event. I was about to turn around and leave when I heard his voice.

"You said you were coming…"

His voice was barely audible, but he sounded pissed. I peeked around the corner and saw him leaning up against the wall talking on his phone.

"I realize that but you haven't been to anything this season and I reserved seats for you and…"

He sighed and knocked his head back against the wall. I had no idea who he was talking to, but I kind of felt bad for him. Unless of course he was talking to one of his skanks, then I'd be totally fine with her ditching him.

"But Dad…" he pleaded.

There it was. That aching in my chest. I had no reason to feel bad for this guy, but I guess I could empathize. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had daddy issues.

"Fine," he huffed, closing his phone. He turned around and slammed his fist back against the concrete wall before starting towards me. I panicked and scurried away, worrying that he'd seen me. I didn't mean to eavesdrop it just kind of happened, just like a lot of things with him lately.

I turned my head back to see if he was following me and ran right into someone.

"Oh I'm sorry," I said, pushing myself back from the body I found myself attached to.

"It's no problem at all." A pair of firm hands gently pushed me back. They appeared to be attached to some very toned arms and belonged to a vaguely familiar looking guy. I smiled and took in his light blonde hair and dimply smile, but I could quite place where I knew him from. "I'm Mike."

"Bella. It's nice to meet you." I glanced behind me and saw Edward stalking our way, his eyes down at his feet. "I'm sorry I have to go." I swept past him and found my spot along the sidelines.

I was fumbling with my camera, trying to look busy, as Edward passed. His arm lightly brushed against mine and I got goosebumps all over my body. He glanced my way for an instant before continuing by.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the announcer boomed. "Welcome to the 5th Annual Celebrity Charity Tennis Event! We'd like to introduce our first pair…Tennis Pro Edward Cullen and Soap Opera Star Mike Newton!"

I suddenly realized why I remembered that guy from the tunnel. He was on television. It wasn't like I really watched those kind of shows much, but I've seen them before.

Mike gallivanted onto the court, almost stumbling over his own feet, and waved to the crowd. Edward was a little more reserved, offering a slight acknowledgement to the crowd. His eyes lingered for a moment at one spot and he smiled slightly. I followed his gaze as Rose sat down beside me and started complaining about traffic.

A petite woman with sandy brown hair waved towards Edward. She clung tightly onto the blonde haired man next to her so I assumed they were together. They looked like they could be Edward's parents, but judging from his conversation in the tunnel I didn't think we were expecting his father.

"Hey Rose. Who are they?" I gestured towards the couple.

"Oh that's Esme and Carlisle, Edward's aunt and uncle."

I nodded slowly and took it as my opportunity to ask a little more about him.

"Are his parents here?" I edged, already knowing at least half of the answer.

"Uh no." She shook her head. "His mom, Esme's sister, died a few years after Alice was born and their dad was never really around. Carlisle and Esme practically raised them. They even took their last name. Their real dad's last name is Masen."

"Oh." I shrugged my shoulders and tried to act like it was just small talk, but that was a big thing. No wonder he had such tension with his dad.

"Hey Edward!" Alice yelled. "How's your racquet? Are you good to go?"

"It's a little slippery…" He smirked at me and I felt my embarrassment bubble to the surface. I felt like everyone knew exactly what he'd done with that racquet even though it was ridiculous.

I started taking pictures once the match started. Edward and Mike were playing Andy Roddick and Will Ferrell. Apparently Edward was lucky that Will would mess up on purpose just to get a laugh because even with Mike's terrible playing that managed to win. I could tell Edward was about ready to slam a ball in the back of Mike's head though. I didn't know how they were going to last through another game.

I sat down on the bench and started loading another roll of film while the next game was going on. Jake was playing with some musician who I didn't really know. Edward had disappeared into the locker room nearly a half hour ago and I haven't seen him since then.

"So you're a photographer?" Mike said, sitting down beside me.

"How'd you guess?" I laughed, eyeing my camera equipment beside me.

He laughed and scratched his head. "So do you work for a magazine or something?"

"Kind of. Well I'm doing a feature for Sports Illustrated on your partner…"

"Edward?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Yep."

"He's a little…difficult. How do you work with him?"

I shrugged and clicked my new roll of film into place. "I just take the pictures," I mumbled.

I know I was sitting in front of hundreds of people, but I literally felt like someone was just staring at me. Not just a casual glance, but enough to make me feel uncomfortable. I glanced behind Mike and sighed when I saw Edward just outside the tunnel. He bit down on his lip and twirled his racquet roughly in his hands as he stared at Mike and I. Actually it was more like glaring a thousand fucking daggers. I tried to pay attention to what Mike was saying, but I couldn't break away from Edward. I felt like he had this hold on me, like I was only allowed to look away when he wanted me to. And he was holding his ground.

"Bella?" Mike asked.

I blinked a few times and let out a shaky breath as I forced my eyes to him. "I'm sorry what?"

"Would you want to go to a movie or something?" He smiled nervously.

"Oh. Um…I'm really busy with this job Mike I don't really know if that's a good idea."

"Okay." His shoulders fell.

Why was it so easy to say no to him? It was a simple word. No. How come it wasn't even in my damn vocabulary as far as Edward was concerned?

"Excuse me." I got up, hoping to make a graceful exit away from this situation. I noticed Edward was gone and I didn't see anyone I knew, so I started down the tunnel hoping to run into Emmett, Alice or Rose.

As soon as I rounded the corner, someone grabbed my arm and pushed me gently back against the concrete.

"What were you doing with that douchetool?" Edward said. His eyes almost looked completely black with anger.

"Excuse me?"

"Newton. What were you doing with him?"

"Talking," I shrugged and glanced down at his fingers grasped around my arm. "Let go of me."

He sighed and released my arm, but didn't falter in his gaze. "I didn't like it."

"Edward I'm a big girl, I think I can handle myself." I started to walk away but he blocked my way with his arm. "Edward…" I narrowed my eyes at him and he dropped his arm.

"I'm…sorry. I'm just really stressed out and…" He clenched his eyes shut. His fingers gripped so tight around his racquet I was sure that he was going to snap it. A low rumble escaped his lips and I knew he was close to losing it.

"It's okay." I didn't even think as I reached out to him and tilted his chin up. "Edward look at me," I whispered. He finally opened his eyes again and they were just slightly softer than before, the emerald green barely tinting the outsides. "It's okay." I nodded.

He smiled sadly and turned away.

"Edward?" I called after him.

"Yeah?"

"Your forehands look amazing…" I smirked.

"Oh I love it when you talk dirty." He winked and started out onto the court.

I was still smiling when I turned to leave. Rose stood at the end of the tunnel with her arms crossed and I got a little panicked that she saw our whole exchange. It wasn't like it was obvious, but I knew even from the inside that the way Edward and I were positioned was intense and intimate. More intense and intimate than a normal photographer and her subject.

I waved towards her and breathed a sigh of relief when she sauntered towards me and followed me out.

Everything that was stressing Edward out met him again as soon as he stepped back out on the court. I could almost see the waves of stress rolling off him. His serves were off. His once beautiful forehands were shit. It almost looked like Newton was the professional.

I winced as another one of Edward's serves went into the net.

"Well if it isn't Bella Swan?" Jake's voice boomed from behind me. I spun around and smiled.

"Hi Jake."

"I'm surprised Cullen let you out of his sight," he joked. He kicked his feet from side to side as he twirled his racquet on the ground.

"Well he's a little busy right now." I turned my eyes back to the court as Edward glared at Mike for whatever stupid ass thing he'd done.

"Did you see me play?" Jake raised his eyebrow and took a seat beside me.

"Yeah a little bit. You're okay I guess," I teased.

He elbowed me playfully. "How's everything going with him? Is he behaving?"

"Yes." I wasn't completely lying. He was behaving. Just behaving badly.

"Well I have to get back, but I'll talk to you soon?" Jake stood up and offered a slight wave as he left.

Edward let out a scream and I shuddered back as he threw his racquet down on the ground.

"Are you fucking kidding me? That was in." He stalked over to the referee's chair, pointing towards the other side of the court.

The man sitting high above him shook his head and leaned down.

"Mr. Cullen. I suggest you get your attitude in check and control your language or I will have to dismiss you from the court."

I held my breath, waiting for Edward's reaction. I didn't realize I had leaned forward, my fingers gripping almost painfully on the bench.

He finally turned around, cursing under his breath as he walked back to his spot.

"Newton just…don't hit anything okay? Stay back." He waved Mike to the back of the court.

Apparently Mike didn't like being told what to do because he hit the next ball and it went flying into the stands. Edward visibly stiffened and I knew he was about to have another outburst. I had a feeling the referee was on his last nerve with him.

Edward spun around and darted towards Mike, an intense fire in his eyes.

"Edward no," I whispered, closing my eyes. I waited to hear it, but it never came. When I opened my eyes again Edward was staring right at me, almost like he heard me. He couldn't have. It was impossible.

His eyes softened a little as he watched me. As our eyes connected I thought for the slightest moment that he had heard me. I shook my head slightly, asking him to calm down. He took a deep breath and finally looked away as he turned back towards the net.

They lost the game, but Edward didn't even come close to having another outburst. Even Alice was surprised by his behavior.

"Bella are you coming to the benefit dinner?" She asked as I was packing up my camera equipment. I glanced over at Edward, who was doing another interview with a reporter, and shook my head.

"I don't think so."

"Are you sure? It's just going to be a bunch of old rich people. Edward, Jasper and Rose are the only ones who are going to keep me sane. Please come with us.

"I'm sorry I can't." I zipped up my bag and started towards the tunnel so I could leave. I didn't think I could be in that situation with Edward again. There was probably going to be music…and dancing. Probably not the same kind of dancing as before but it would just give him an opportunity to put his hands on me again. And I don't think I would stop him. It was best to avoid the whole thing.

I looked around for Rose so I could say goodbye and I found her talking to Edward's aunt and uncle. I didn't want to interrupt them so I tried to make a discreet exit.

"Bella!" Rose called, just as I was about to walk through the door. I cursed under my breath and spun around. "Come meet Carlisle and Esme!" She waved me over.

"This is Edward's aunt and uncle. Guys this is Bella Swan, she's doing the photo feature on Edward."

"It's nice to meet you Bella," Esme smiled.

"Yeah you too. I'm sorry I have somewhere I need to be. Excuse me." I nodded and started towards the door. I wasn't watching where I was going and ran right into Jacob.

"Whoa. Sorry." I smiled.

"No problem. You headed out for the night?" He gently steadied me, but didn't take his hand from my arm.

"Yeah. I'm avoiding the dinner," I admitted.

"Good choice. I wish I had that luxury."

I glanced behind us and saw Edward watching intently from the hallway. _Interesting_. After his little tantrum about Mike earlier I wonder how he would react to Jacob. I felt a little bad using him like this. I thought he was a really nice guy I just didn't know if I liked him _that_ way.

I leaned a little closer towards Jake and smiled.

"So Cullen seems a little overprotective of you. Why's that?"

"No idea."

"I think he likes you."

"He doesn't…like anyone Jake. It doesn't work that way with him."

"Then why does he look like he wants to rip my arm off just because I'm touching you." He laughed and nodded sideways towards Edward. Definitely looked pissed.

"So are you going to Wimbledon with him?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm pretty excited."

"Maybe I could…take you out before then?" He shuffled nervously. "Maybe."

"Umm…" I glanced back at Edward. "Listen I'll be pretty busy up until then, but ask me some other time and I might say yes. And just in case you need it…" I reached into my bag and grabbed a pen. "Here's my number." I pulled his hand towards me and scribbled my phone number on it.

"Thanks. And don't think I won't ask again Bella." He leaned down towards me and kissed my cheek. I couldn't tell if he really wanted to do it or if he wanted to piss Edward off as much as I did. Either way I was definitely okay with it.

Jake walked away, brushing past Edward who looked like he was going to have a panic attack. I smiled waved at him before I pushed through the door.

"Bella wait!" Edward called. He ran up beside me and ran his fingers through his hair. "Alice told me you weren't going to the benefit. Why? What are you doing?" Did he think I was actually going out with him tonight?

"Things…" I mumbled.

"You're a terrible liar," he smirked, all aggression gone from his face.

I stared at him in disbelief and pushed my way through the door. "Have a good night Edward."

How does he think he knows all these things about me? Better yet how does he actually know all these things about me? I've known the man a few weeks and he's already got me down, not to mention control over my mind and body. It isn't fair for him to own me like that. Or maybe it isn't fair that I didn't own him like that. This one-way street was bound to end up in disaster, but I couldn't turn myself around. I bit my lip and glanced behind me just in time to see him start talking to some girl.

When I got home Jasper was getting ready to go to the benefit. I helped him with his tie as he fumbled with the buttons on his vest.

"What's on your mind?" He asked.

"Not sure yet…" I shrugged and patted his tie down. "There. When are you leaving?"

"Probably ten minutes or so. What are you up to tonight?"

"I think I'm just going to take a shower and stay in. Watch a movie or something." I started the shower and flitted my hand through the stream, checking the temperature. "By the way I'm rethinking this whole you giving bad advice thing. In fact I think you should start your own column."

"What like Dear Abby?" He laughed.

"Yeah. Dear Jasper. Has a good ring to it."

"Have a good night love." Jasper smiled and closed the door after him as I ran a brush through my hair.

My shower didn't last long, thanks to Jasper. He had a habit of using all the hot water, especially when he was meeting a girl.

I wrapped myself in a robe and started out in the living room so I could pick out a movie. After a thorough dissection of our collection I opted for an action movie void of any romance. I definitely didn't need any of that tonight.

I hit play and went to settle myself on the couch, but my stomach rumbled so loud it almost echoed out into the room. I guess I'd forgotten to eat today. As I walked towards the kitchen I noticed Jasper's keys left on the counter, as often was the case when he in fact needed them. It wasn't like I was going anywhere tonight, but I had no idea if he'd be back tonight. He might need them to get in tomorrow.

I pulled out my phone and started dialing his number a moment before there was a knock at the door. He must have realized and came back.

"Did we forget something?" I laughed as I pulled open the door.

"Um…I don't think so?" Edward's brow furrowed in confusion as he leaned against my doorframe.

I screamed and grabbed at my robe to cover myself up more before I slammed the door in his face.

"Oh my God…" I whispered. He was checking in on me.

"Bella?" He knocked again. "Will you please open the door?"

"You're supposed to be at the benefit."

"And I'm obviously not going."

I tentatively opened the door a crack.

"Alice is going to freak out," I whispered, trying to hide my body behind the door.

"I don't give a shit, I didn't want to go in the first place. And I've felt you up, I know what's under there so stop trying to hide it." He nodded to my robe. "Can I come in?"

"No," I answered quickly.

"No?" He leaned forward and smiled. "Bella," he purred. "Can I come in…please?"

"Okay," I choked. This is exactly why I didn't want to be around him tonight. He does that thing with his eyes…and his voice. It's hypnotizing. It makes me not trust myself with him. I opened the door for him and stepped aside.

"So what are we doing tonight?" He plopped down at the counter and started looking around.

"We…aren't doing anything. I'm going to make myself some dinner and watch a movie and go to bed." I reached in my freezer for a frozen dinner and started stabbing holes in the plastic.

"What the hell are you doing?" Edward asked.

"You have to poke holes so it can vent."

"No I understand that Norman Bates, but that's not even food. You can't have that for dinner." He was suddenly next to me staring down at the black plastic container.

"I have it all the time."

He grabbed the food from my hand and threw it in the trash.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" I started over towards the trash, intent on digging it back out. I was fucking starving.

"Leave it alone, I'll make you something. Like actual food." He opened each cupboard as well as the freezer and refrigerator, his face growing more and more confused. I knew I didn't have much. "Do you own any actual food?" He turned towards me and I just shrugged.

"You don't have to…" I stuttered.

"That shit isn't good for you Bella. If you're going to eat carbs and fat they should at least taste good." He pulled a pan out and started boiling some water on the stove. "Have a seat." He nodded towards the bar. I gave up and pulled myself up on one of the stools so I could watch him.

It was amazing to me how graceful Edward was in the kitchen. It wasn't as intensely beautiful as when he was playing tennis, but it was a close second. He darted around, almost in slow motion just like he knew just where everything was. It was captivating, almost like watching a dance. It made me wonder if he was just as graceful in other rooms of the house. I licked my lips as my eyes traveled down the muscles in his back all the way down to his…

"Bella?" He asked.

"What? What?" I perked up, wide eyed and panicked that he'd caught me.

"I said did you have fun at the game today?" He turned around for a moment before he went back to stirring.

"Oh. Yeah." I leaned over the bar, starting to get curious about what he was making.

I got off the stool and walked over to stand beside him.

"What is it?" I asked, looking down into the pan.

"Noodles with melted parmesan cheese. Esme used to make it for us all the time." He carefully picked a single noodle from the pan and held it out to me.

I opened my mouth and leaned forward. He delicately placed the noodle on my tongue, dropping his fingers all the way down to meet my lips. He pulled back, cheese still dripping, and placed his fingers in his mouth, licking off the excess. Mother of God that was sexy.

"Plates?" He asked.

I spun around and grabbed two plates. He dished out the noodles between the two of us and reached for one of the bottles of wine on the counter.

"May I?" He held the bottle up.

"Sure. You're drinking tonight?" I looked down at my feet, wondering if he was going to get upset with me for asking.

"Just a little. I don't have a game or training tomorrow so I think I'll be alright to have a glass or two of wine." He started uncorking it and poured us each a glass.

I carried our plates over to the couch and he followed closely with our two glasses of wine and the rest of the bottle.

"I didn't take you for an action movie kind of girl," he said, noting my movie choice.

I smiled as I took a big bite of food. "Mmmm…Edward this is so good."

His eyes were wide for an instant before he relaxed. "Thanks," he mumbled.

I'm pretty sure I "Mmm"ed through the entire meal, unable to contain myself. It was just so good. I'd have to get the recipe and have Jasper make it for me.

I was about three bites away from finishing when Edward's fork crashed down onto his plate.

"Can you please…stop with that noise?" He growled.

"Sorry." I felt heat rise to my cheeks, thinking he was mad at me.

"I'm not mad at you Bella. It's just sexy as hell and it's making me a little…uncomfortable." He nodded down to his lap. I almost choked on my last bite of food. That definitely didn't help with the embarrassment.

When he was finished I took our plates to the kitchen and started back to the couch.

"Can you turn the lights off please?" He asked.

"Why?"

"I like to watch movies in the dark." He shrugged and turned back to the movie.

I sighed and flipped the light switch before I joined him. Something about being this close to him in the dark was making me anxious. I didn't realize I kept taking sips out of my wine, just for something to focus on, until it was too late. Wine always managed to get me drunk faster than anything else and I had no idea why. Probably because I thought it tasted like Welch's Grape juice and didn't pay attention to how many glasses I had.

Once I finished my glass I leaned over and set it on the table. I caught a glimpse of Edward on the way back up, only able to see his face in the flickering of the lights on the screen. He would swirl his wine around in his glass and take the smallest sniff before bringing it to his lips. If you weren't paying attention you would have missed it. I didn't miss it.

I didn't take my eyes off his face as I rested back against the couch. There was light stubble along his jaw that wasn't there yesterday and every time the screen flickered I could see the faintest hint of a mole on his neck, right below his hairline.

He set his glass down and kinked his neck to the side, wincing a bit.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. I think I pulled a muscle today. It's no big deal, I'll just take some Tylenol when I get home." He shook his head and focused back on the screen.

I dragged my teeth across my bottom lip as I contemplated what I was going to say next because I knew if I was completely sober I never would have said it.

"I could give you a massage…I mean if you want?" I shrugged.

"Um…okay. Are you sure?"

I nodded and hesitated before crawling over to him.

"Lean forward," I whispered. I couldn't concentrate on anything except getting to touch him. A few hours ago I was trying to avoid this at all costs and now it was all I wanted.

He scooted forward on the couch and slid behind, resting my legs on either side of him. He dropped his head forward and I tentatively put my hands on his neck, rubbing and massaging softly. I thought I heard him moan, but I could also very well be fantasizing right now.

What if I was dreaming all of this? What if Edward wasn't here? What if I wasn't touching his neck? What if those weren't really his fingers running lightly up and down my legs?

My breath hitched in my throat, my hands momentarily stalling as I realized that it wasn't a dream. I instinctively tightened my legs around him as he pressed down harder with his fingers. He looked extremely pleased with his work, smirking as his eyes followed his fingers up and down, grazing higher each time.

"Edward," I breathed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"What happened today? I mean when you were playing. Did you…did you hear me?"

I wondered for an instant if he would know what I was talking about but he clearly did.

"No," he answered. His fingers stilled as they grasped onto my thighs. "I could just…feel you." He squeezed my skin tighter, almost as if to prove his point.

My eyes fluttered shut as my body melted into him. He turned his face towards me. "I don't know why I am the way I am Bella…but you make me better." His eyes fell on my lips and slowly migrated to my eyes.

This was the Edward from the rooftop. I could see it. "I like you like this." I reached out and ran my finger along his bottom lip. He closed his eyes and breathed loudly through his nose as he inched forward, ever so slowly. His lips brushed lightly over mine, almost enough to make me wonder if they even did.

His breath was low and ragged as he carefully slid his hands higher on my thighs, looking at me tentatively almost like he was asking permission. I leaned forward and brushed my lips over his again as I ran my fingers through his hair, holding his face to mine.

His hands drifted under my robe and up to my bare hips. He growled, lingering over my hipbones, before pulling me around onto his lap. He pulled back for a moment and connected his eyes to mine. Without breaking my gaze, he lifted one of his hands and fingered along my collarbone. He slowly allowed it to fall down the middle of my chest, pulling my robe apart and exposing a sliver of skin all the way down to my bellybutton. He circled his hand around my bare waist and pulled me closer to him, grinding our hips together. Every place he touched me caught fire, sparks dancing across my skin.

He pressed his forehead against mine as his tongue darted out to run along my bottom lip, leaving his taste on my mouth.

I whimpered as he reached behind me, cupping his hands below my ass and moving my hips against his once more.

"Edward." I drew in a shaky breath as he reached for the tie on my robe, threatening to completely expose me. He fingered along the fabric and started tugging on it just as the lights flipped on.

"Holy!" Jasper yelled.

I rushed to pull my robe shut and shuffle off Edward's lap.

"Damnit Bella!" He yelled again, throwing his forearm over his eyes. "Don't mind me. I didn't see a thing." He felt his way along the kitchen, almost breaking a glass or two, and disappeared into his room.

"Oh…" I brought my hand to my mouth and looked over at Edward.

He had his head in his hands, clearing his throat as he tried to compose himself.

"I should go," he murmured. He whisked himself off the couch and started towards the door.

"Edward wait!" I ran after him and grabbed his arm.

"It's okay." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'll see you later." He ducked out and started down the hallway as I watched. He swore under his breath and started tugging at his hair before shooting his clenched fists down at his sides.

I locked the door and rushed towards my bedroom, completely humiliated and on the verge of tears.

Jasper cleared his throat as I reached my door.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't know…" he said.

"I didn't either…" A tear slipped down my cheek. "I don't know what's wrong with me…"

He sighed and pulled me into his arms. "Well I don't doubt that sweetheart. You didn't think to put clothes on when the man you may or may not be having an affair with showed up at your door…there's gotta be something wrong there."

"I was distracted," I cried.

"Yeah by Edward's dick."

I nodded into his chest, not even denying it. It wasn't just his dick. It was his hands. And his eyes. And his perfect jaw line. And it was becoming much more than a distraction. It was becoming a disaster.

**A/N: So things are definitely starting to heat it between our pair and it seems like the two Edwards are starting to show a little more of a connection to one another and to Bella. Interesting…**

**And I've also decided to do a thing with Dear Jasper because he's probably my favorite character in this story (don't tell Edward) and I'd love to bring him more into it. I was thinking of either starting a Twitter or a blog and you wonderful people could send in questions and Jasper would love to give you some advice. Let me know what you think.**

**Thanks for all the recc's, reviews, alerts, favorites, retweets! You guys are awesome and Tennisward is sending you all hot sexy thigh rubs. Be sure to check out the blog for fun stuff www . gamesetmatchfanfiction . blogspot . com  
**


	7. Happy Birthday Edward

**A/N: Surprise! I'm in a good mood today so you get a bonus chapter. Also very exciting news that DearJasper has launched. You can follow him on twitter at DearJasper. He's still trying to figure out this twitter thing and is oblivious because he thinks fanfic is a new street drug. **

I tried to sleep but it was useless. The way Edward's fingers felt on my skin and the taste of him on my lips kept me awake and buzzing. After the high wore off I was more confused than ever. I had no idea what Edward wanted from me, but I knew I was getting in over my head. I was right on the edge, teetering back and forth on the edge of starting to actually like-like Edward. This was turning into more than just wanting to kiss him and if I didn't figure it out soon it was going to end badly. Edward had indicated nothing that would make me think he wanted anything more than a casual hook up and it was unfair of me to punish him for that. It was my own warped mind that kept thinking there was something more when there wasn't. It was just hard when he had his split personalities and I could already feel myself cracking in two, one side telling me to run like hell and the other just wanting to hold his hand.

When five a.m. rolled around I couldn't lie in bed anymore so I rolled out of bed. I wasn't sure if Jasper was here or at Alice's so I tried to be quiet as I gathered my camera. I took one look outside, almost feeling the early morning chill, and threw on an extra layer of clothes and a hat.

My mom had always thought mornings were the best time to take pictures. She said that there was a stillness about it, almost like the whole world was taking a deep breath before the chaos of the day ensued. Whenever one of us had a bad day, she'd wake me up the next morning and we'd go take pictures in the woods behind our house. Seattle didn't quite offer me that luxury but it had some beautiful parks and gardens that were a good enough substitute.

There was barely anyone out at this hour and it didn't surprise me. It was particularly cool for a June morning, a heavy fog rolling over the entire city. I found a nice, quiet park and looked around as I stepped inside. The park didn't look much like the others in the city. Besides the fence surrounding it and a few benches placed inside, it looked relatively untainted. Most of the other parks had sculptures and fountains and plaques and statues everywhere. I smiled slightly as I took in the various shades of purple as the scent of wildflowers gently encompassed me. A magnolia tree sat in the corner, its pink flowers standing out in the ocean of lilac, lavender and plum.

I set my camera bag down on one of the concrete benches and started snapping some pictures. I zoomed in and out, trying to focus the frame and find the right balance of light, which was difficult because the sky was just starting to lighten. It was almost too dark to be taking pictures but I needed some photography therapy.

I took a step back and was suddenly aware of someone else in the park with me. I knew it was impossible, but I knew it was him. I could feel him even before he spoke.

"Bella?" Edward breathed.

I slowly spun around and noticed him jogging towards me clad in jersey shorts, a sweatshirt and a black beanie, his cheeks a lovely shade of pink. He smiled and raised his arms, locking his fingers behind his head as he tried to catch his breath.

"Edward." I let out a shaky breath, my mind running through thoughts of last night. "What are you doing?"

"Just going for a run. I like mornings. There's just this stillness about it, it's so relaxing." He smirked and shuffled his feet.

My breath hitched in my throat as my mother's words echoed from his lips and I half wondered if my mind was playing tricks on me. I bit down on my lip, trying to tell my heart to stop beating so loudly. I was sure he could hear it and that just made it beat against my chest even harder.

"What are you doing out here so early?" He licked his lips.

"Just taking some pictures…" I shrugged.

"Let me see." He started towards me.

"No you can't."

A look of disappointment spread across his face as he slowed. "Oh. Okay. Sorry," he mumbled.

"No it's not…" I shook my head. "I just don't use a digital camera so you literally…can't see them." I laughed nervously and held up my camera.

"Don't use a digital camera huh? Isn't that kind of unusual today?" He took another step forward and ran his finger down the neck strap of my camera, barely brushing across my chest.

I closed my eyes and turned around so he wouldn't see how much he affected me. The jury was still out about what I wanted to do about my little situation and I didn't want him influencing me with his magic fingers. Well maybe I did, but I figured if I removed myself from the stimulus I could at least keep my cool.

I sat down on the bench and took a few deep breaths before I looked back up at him. "Um…no. I mean I've used one before but not for my serious photography." He sat down beside me, never breaking his eyes away from mine. "I mean I know you can do some cool things to pictures digitally but I like having to um…work for it."

"And you develop your own pictures?" Edward purred, slowly lifting the neck strap and taking the camera from my hands.

"Yeah. I have my own darkroom, well it's not really a darkroom it's more like a storage closet. But I pay the apartment complex to use it as a darkroom." I watched anxiously as he turned it over in his hands.

"That doesn't sound like a suitable darkroom Bella." My eyes focused on his pink tongue, barely visible through his lips as he spoke. "Will you show it to me sometime?"

I nodded without even thinking and he smiled.

"So how does this thing work?" He nodded down to the camera.

"Well aside from all the of the technical mumbo jumbo, you basically just hit this button here to take the picture." I pointed down at the big red button. Before I could react, Edward lifted up the camera and took a shot of my face. I was sure it would come out blurred my arms rushing up to cover my face.

"No." I tried to grab the camera back from him.

"Oh," he teased. "So she takes all the pictures but refuses to be in front of the camera?" He laughed.

"Edward…" I warned, trying not to let the smile creep onto my face. He snapped another picture and started skipping around the park. He clicked a few more random pictures before I caught up with him. "Give me back my baby…" I whined, putting my hands on my hips.

He stopped and leaned down, his face close to mine. "Did you just call me baby?" He kinked an eyebrow.

"No. That," I nodded to my camera. "Is my baby."

"This?" He took the strap from his neck and held the camera high above his head. "If you really want it back then come and get it."

I knew he was too tall for me to even attempt to jump up and get it.

"Give it back," I said sternly.

"What do I get if I give it to you?"

"You get to keep your favorite appendage for one more day." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"How about a kiss?"

"No." I shook my head. He was crazy if he thought I would kiss him in the middle of the park.

"No?" He cocked his head to the side and dangled the camera above my head, just barely by the strap.

I knew if he dropped it he would buy me a new one, but the panic that shot through my body was enough to make me to do the unthinkable. I wasn't going to give him what he wanted, at least not exactly what he wanted.

I took a step forward, pressing my chest flush against his. I wrapped my arms light around his neck, just enough to help me pull myself close to him. I took a deep breath and bent my lips down, ducking into the crook of his neck. Edward's entire body stiffened at my touch and I was terrified he was going to drop it. I inhaled his scent, which was surprisingly intoxicating. He hadn't showered or shaved yet, it just smelled like Edward.

I brushed my lips lightly over his skin once before pressing them lightly into his neck. I lingered for a moment, barely flicking my tongue out to taste him before I pulled back. When I stepped back, Edward cleared his throat and quickly handed over my camera.

I smiled to myself, thankful that I'd been able to restrain my overly anxious body from molesting him, and turned around.

"Bella wait!" He grabbed my arm and spun me back around. "I uh…wanted to ask you something. Well two somethings I guess."

"Okay?"

"Well we're all going out tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to join us. We're headed to this club downtown."

"Emmett letting you ride the alcohol train tonight?"

"Uh…yeah it's kind of a special occasion," he mumbled, almost like he didn't want to talk about it. I wasn't letting him get away with it that easily.

"What's the occasion?"

He looked up at me, his eyes conflicted like he wondered if he wanted to say it or not.

"Just spit it out Edward."

"It's my birthday," he whispered.

"Today?" My eyes widened in shock as he nodded. "Of course I'll come. Why didn't you tell me? Happy Birthday." I smiled.

"Thanks."

"You don't sound too excited?"

"I'm not really into birthdays so…"

I suddenly regretted asking him, realizing why he probably wasn't too big into it. His mother died when he was a kid and I couldn't imagine his father was the birthday type. He probably got a card and a check. As nice as that sounds, its nothing compared to having them there. I should know. I'm sure Charlie's checks were never as big as Edward's father, but it probably still hurt the same. I'd eventually told Charlie to stop sending them.

Edward sighed and smiled, his hands ringing nervously at his sides. "Okay."

"There was something else?" I edged.

"Uh…yeah." He looked around and took a few shaky breaths. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner with me on Friday."

"Oh where are we going? Alice said she wanted to try that new Mexican place, maybe we should go there…" I rambled.

"No, no. I mean….just you and me. Would you like to go out to dinner with me?"

He didn't mean a group thing. He was asking me out. Edward Cullen was actually asking me out. I tried to tell myself to breathe.

"Like…like a date?"

"No," he answered too quickly. "I mean…I don't know do you want it to be?"

I almost laughed because I've never seen him so nervous before.

"Edward." I paused. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I guess I am."

I felt my teeth dig into my bottom lip as I studied his face, contemplating whether or not I was going to do this to myself. This was my Edward asking me out. This wasn't the cocky, manwhore who hit on me at the bar. I would be taking a gamble saying yes. I had no idea which one I would get on Friday.

His eyes softened and I saw the feeling of defeat crawl onto his face. He thought my silence meant I was turning him down.

"I'm sorry," he stuttered. He turned around and started walking away.

"Okay," I called.

He stopped and turned back. "What?"

I crossed my arms and tried to look casual as I shrugged. "Okay. I'll go out with you on Friday."

"Yeah?" His eyes lit up.

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll call you this afternoon about tonight."

"Sounds good."

He pulled his lips up into a sly smile and started jogging off into the distance.

I took a few more pictures and by the time I actually got home I was exhausted. Everything that had kept me tossing and turning last night seemed to go away, for now at least, so I went back to bed.

My phone woke me, blasting right into my ear. I must have left it right on my pillow.

"Hello?" I mumbled, swinging my legs over the side and stumbling out of bed. I started towards the kitchen to grab a snack and a glass of water.

"I'm sorry did I wake you?" Edward asked.

"No…I mean yeah but it's okay I needed to get up," I yawned. "What time is it?"

"A little after three."

"Wow."

"Did I wear you out this morning?" He teased.

_No you wore me out last night and you weren't even here._

"No I just…had trouble sleeping last night."

I pulled a glass out and poured myself some water.

"Well I was calling about tonight, I just wanted to warn you about…" A loud knock on the door interrupted him. "That," he sighed.

"Wait who is at my door right now?" I sauntered over and paused, feeling a little anxious about what was waiting for me.

"I told Alice you were going with us. She gets a little…eccentric."

I sighed and swung my door open only to be assaulted by Alice's screeching scream.

"Good luck." Edward hung up as Alice bounced inside.

"I'm so excited you're going out with us tonight Bella. We're going to get ready at my place and then out to dinner and then going to this great club downtown…" She was migrating towards my bedroom. I wondered how she knew, but I figured Jasper must have brought her back here at some point. "And then we're going to have a girls night at my place while the guys go do their thing for Edward's birthday. Sounds fun right?"

"Sounds mind-blowing…" I mumbled flatly as she disappeared behind my door. "Alice?"

She peeked her head out from my closet. "Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Finding you something to wear for tonight." She dove back in and started rummaging through my things. I could see why Edward chose the word eccentric. She seemed down right batty.

"What about this?" She squealed, indicating she'd found something she liked. "Bella the tags are still on it." She pulled out the very dress I assumed she would and stomped her foot. "Why haven't you ever worn this?"

I ran my eyes over the deep blue dress and shrugged. "I bought it on a whim thinking I could pull it off, but I never got the guts to actually wear it."

"Pull it off? Why the hell wouldn't you pull it off?"

I raised my eyebrows at her as I noted the incredibly short hem and almost non-existent back.

"Bella," she purred. "You are a hot piece of ass and this dress is going to get you some attention tonight." She shook it and smiled.

"Alice I don't know…"

"Come on Bella. Trust me."

She didn't wait for me to answer. She just threw the dress over her shoulder, grabbed some shoes and walked out of the room.

"Get an overnight bag together and let's go. Rose will be over to my place soon and she'll get pissy if we aren't there."

I quickly packed a bag with some toiletries and some pajamas before meeting Alice at the door. She shooed me out and down the stairs to her car.

Rose was already there when we arrived and she was pissy just like Alice predicted she would be.

"For fuck's sake what took you guys so long?" She leaned up against Alice's doorway and crossed her arms.

"Relax," Alice smiled and unlocked her door. "You can wait a few more minutes to have a drink, it won't kill you."

"A drink?" I glanced down at my watch. "It's barely after four."

"In the words of the great thinkers of yesterday…It's five o'clock somewhere. Let's go." Alice grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

"Wasn't that just a country song?"

"Looks like I'm not the only one who needs to relax," Rosalie laughed as she started pouring different things into her glass. She grabbed another glass and did the same before handing it to me.

"What's in this?" I smelled it. It smelled like battery acid and oranges.

"Don't ask." Alice made herself a cosmopolitan and turned on some music. "Bella I want you to take a shower so I can do your hair and makeup." She started dancing around.

"Alice I can get ready myself. I'm perfectly capable of…making myself presentable."

"This is a special occasion Bella are you sure that you're up to the task? Your look needs to scream glam." She narrowed her eyes at me.

"I can do glam," I shrugged.

Alice smiled and nodded before holding her glass up in the air. "A toast. To us, three fabulous hot bitches having a night on the town." She started to bring her glass down. "Oh and Happy Birthday Edward," she added quickly before downing her drink.

I tried not to gag as I threw mine back. I had a feeling it was going to be my undoing. Usually the worse it tasted the more potent it was. And that shit was disgusting.

"Bathroom's around the corner," Alice gestured to the hallway and poured herself another drink. "Towels are under the sink!"

I followed her directions and easily found a bathroom that was as big as my entire bedroom. The towels were just where Alice said they would be, so I pulled a few out and started the shower.

I quickly washed my hair and ran some soap over my skin before turning off the water and stepping out. The heat of the atmosphere was starting to affect me more than usual, or I was just starting to feel the affects of that God-awful drink.

I wrapped a towel around my body and leaned forward, brushing the moisture from the mirror in front of me. I took a deep breath and ran the towel through my hair, soaking up the excess water, before I stepped outside of the bathroom and into the kitchen.

Alice shoved another drink in my face and I could tell they'd been busy in those short twenty minutes. There were a few used shot glasses sitting out alongside a bottle of Vodka.

I downed another drink and headed back to the bathroom, since I didn't want my hair to dry all funky. Alice knocked as I was blow-drying it and snuck inside to hang my dress up. The truth was I didn't want to see it the whole time I was getting ready. I was hoping to just close my eyes once I was finished and hop into it or something. Like that deodorant where the girl jumps out her window and gracefully glides into her dress. Now it was just staring at me and it made me nervous. There was a reason I'd never worn it in the first place and was convinced that if not for the alcohol I would have stuck to that.

I shook my dry hair out, smiling a little as I felt the warmth of the alcohol buzz through my body. I had to hurry and get ready before I was too far gone. I shuddered at the thought of trying to put on mascara when I was drunk. That would just result in an unwanted visit to the emergency room.

I found some hot rollers and spun my hair around each one, pinning them on top of my head. My makeup bag sat open beside me and I reached inside, looking for the makeup that I hardly ever used. Alice wanted glam and I was going to give it to her. I didn't usually dress up like this, but I still knew what I was doing.

Fifteen minutes later I put on one last coat of mascara and swiped some deep red lipstick across my lips. The rollers seemed cool so I pulled the pins, unleashing soft wavy curls down my back. I sprayed on some flavored body spray and nitpicked at my hair and makeup, trying to avoid the dress. I knew I couldn't very well go out in a towel, but that didn't make it any less scary.

I finally gave in, dropping the towel to the ground and pulling the dress off the hanger. My fingers shook as I unzipped the side and slipped inside. I was almost worried that it wasn't going to fit; I'd bought it so long ago. I sighed in relief when the zipper smoothed up over my body, enclosing me in the fitting dress. I turned around to look at myself in the mirror and I almost screamed. I can't wear this. I look like I'm asking for it. Was I asking for it?

"Bella!" Rosalie howled. "Get out here now we want to see!"

"This dress is tighter than a fat guy in spandex."

"Honey that's a good thing. Now open the damn door." I could hear her pounding and laughing.

I took a deep breath and flung the door open, waiting for it to come. I wanted her to tell me it was too short and too tight, but she didn't say anything. When I opened my eyes her jaw was hanging open as her eyes grazed up and down my length.

"I look like a slut I know. I'm not wearing it." I started to close the door but Rose pushed her way inside.

"Bella you don't look like a slut. You look amazing." She smiled. "I'm jealous."

Rosalie Hale, Homecoming Queen, was jealous of me? She must have had more alcohol than I thought.

"You have to show Alice, she's gonna flip." She toted me towards the kitchen and for the second time today Alice squealed with delight.

"Bella! I'm so sorry I ever doubted you, you look perfect!" She gave me a hug and went back to getting ready. She had a lighted makeup mirror sitting at her counter and I suddenly felt a little guilt for hogging the bathroom.

Rosalie and Alice slipped on their dresses and we took a shot before taking off.

A limo picked us up right at the door and started towards the restaurant. The boys were apparently meeting us there.

The driver dropped us off at the door and I almost gasped as I stumbled out of the limo. We were at the snazziest restaurant in Seattle. I never ever thought I'd be able to even afford a glass of water here. It wasn't that it was necessarily overly classy; it was just expensive as hell.

Alice walked right in, just like she owned the place, as Rosalie looped her arm through mine and pulled me in. The Maitre D nodded towards the bar, telling us the rest of our party was waiting there.

I spotted Edward right away. He was dressed in all black, leaning up against the bar talking to Jasper. Emmett's head snapped our direction as soon as he heard Alice laugh.

"Fuck," he whispered, glancing in my direction. I blushed a little and looked down as we approached. Rosalie hit him on the shoulder and murmured something about him being the world's biggest asshole. "That was for you baby…" he pleaded, lacing his fingers through hers.

"Baby Bell…" Jasper drawled, placing a kiss on my cheek as he toted Alice along.

Edward and I were alone and I was scared to look at him.

"Bella…" He whispered. I took a deep breath and forced my eyes up.

His face was blank for a few moments as he looked at me, finally cocking his eyebrow.

"You look…beyond stunning. The perfect birthday present." He started towards me and placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me towards our table the rest of our group. "Do I get to unwrap you later?" He leaned down and brushed his lips behind my ear, so quickly I thought I had imagined it.

We had a private area all to ourselves. I wasn't oblivious to the constant stares as we made our way through the crowded restaurant so I was glad we didn't have to sit out with everyone. I mean they could still see us over in the corner, but it wasn't in the thick of things.

By the time we got to the table the only two spots were directly across the table from one another. Edward pulled out my chair for me and stepped back. My heart fluttered a little as I stepped forward, completely tangling my foot in the leg of the chair. I fell forward, directly into Edward before I could even muster a scream. His face was only inches from mine; if I allowed my forehead to fall forward it would land perfectly against his cheek.

"S-s-sorry," I mumbled, trying to push myself back.

"Have you been drinking?"

"Why would you say that? You know I'm not the most graceful person."

"I can smell it on your breath." He smirked as he steadied me and started over to his own seat.

The waitress came over immediately and took our drink orders. The boys all ordered a beer and the girls opted for something a little more frilly.

"I'll have a frozen margarita please," I said, feeling Edward's eyes on me.

"Okay what size, we have small, medium, large, and jumbo?" The waitress started scribbling on her little notepad.

"Jummmmmbo please." I gestured with my hands.

"Do you really think you need that much Bella?" Edward teased. He was enjoying this right now.

I sat my elbows up on the table and leaned forward as I stared into his emerald eyes. He smiled and tipped his beer up to take a drink.

"I like it big," I announced.

Edward started choking on his beer and set his bottle down as he coughed. Apparently no one else was in our little conversation.

The waitress brought back our drinks and took our food order. All I wanted was a big, greasy burger. I knew it would probably look ridiculous considering what I was wearing but it's what I wanted.

I eyed it as soon as she brought it out, licking my lips in anticipation. Just as I was about to take a bite, I felt something brush against my leg. I dropped my hamburger and looked around. I jumped as it brushed against me again. It was clearly someone's foot, gently caressing up and down my leg.

I narrowed my eyes at Edward as he snickered and stole a glance at me. He continued his exploration throughout dinner, but I refused to show any reaction. That was all he wanted and I wasn't going to give it to him.

He stopped when the waitress approached again, collecting our plates and asking about dessert.

"Actually we've got a birthday in the house!" Emmett boomed and started to point towards Edward.

Panic shot through Edward's face as he gripped at the table. I knew what he was thinking. Singing. Clapping. Attention. He had a hard enough time telling me it was his birthday, I was pretty sure he didn't want it paraded around the whole restaurant.

"Yeah it's my birthday!" I yelled, diverting the attention to me. The rest of the table's eyes turned towards me, but when Edward didn't say anything they just went along with it.

"What was that all about?" Rosalie whispered in my ear before pulling herself onto Emmett's lap.

"Wait for it," I slurred.

Almost on cue, the clapping and singing started. It was faint at first but grew louder and louder as the procession of waiters weaved through the restaurant. The rest of the patrons started clapping along and laughing as their eyes followed the line back to our table. The waiters completely surrounded me and set a large bowl of ice cream in front of me, complete with candles. I shrugged my shoulders and waited it out. They should be done soon enough. I chanced a glance across the table and Edward smiled at me as the waiters finished their song and offered me a round of "Happy Birthdays."

Once everyone went back to their own conversations I gently pushed the bowl of ice cream across the table to Edward.

"They gave it to you," he reasoned, pushing it back.

"It's your birthday Edward. It belongs to you." I pushed it back towards him.

"Share?" He raised his eyebrow,

"Sure," I sighed. He stood up and walked around the table, taking the seat beside me that was left empty by Rose. He picked up my spoon and took a few bites before handing it over to me.

"Thank you, for doing that," he said, taking the spoon back from me.

"You're welcome." I licked my lips, tasting the chocolate goodness.

"So you know when my birthday is. When's yours?" Edward took a big scoop and took his time drawing the spoon from his mouth.

"September 13th," I nodded.

"I'll have to remember that." He nodded towards the ice cream bowl. "Last bite's yours." He handed me the spoon.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm stuffed."

I smiled and took the last big bite of ice cream before setting the spoon down.

"Oh," Edward said. "You've got some…chocolate." He nodded towards my lips.

I started to reach up, blushing in embarrassment, but his hand stopped mine.

"I got it." He lifted his finger up and lightly brushed it along my lips before bringing it to his own, sucking off the excess chocolate syrup.

"Alright everyone, let's go dance!" Alice shouted.

We left the restaurant and started walking the few blocks to the club. Well I tried to walk. Between the alcohol and the shoes I wasn't doing so hot.

"Edward help her!" Alice yelled. Her and Jasper were walking with Emmett and Rose ahead of us and disappeared around the corner. I shuddered as Edward wrapped his arm around my waist, effectively steadying me as we followed.

The line to get in the club was all the way down the street and I sighed, not wanting to wait that long. We'd be lucky if we got in at all before it closed.

I started towards the end of the line, but Edward pulled me away laughing under his breath.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"We don't wait Bella."

He escorted me to the front of the line where the rest of our group was waiting. As soon as the bouncer saw Edward he smiled and opened the red divider so we could walk through. Edward shook his hand as we passed, warranting screams of disgust or love from the group. I'll let you guess which one was from the ladies.

Emmett called us over to the bar and Edward dropped me off next to Alice.

"Will you be alright?" He whispered into my ear.

I nodded and turned towards the bartender.

"Whiskey please!" I yelled.

"Oh Swan, you're going to have a bad day tomorrow," Edward laughed as he handed the bartender his credit card. "These five are with me."

"You don't have to buy my drinks…It's your birthday," I mumbled.

"It's okay I want to…" He brushed my hair away from my shoulder and went down to the other end of the bar to talk with Jasper and Emmett.

Alice and Rosalie were just as drunk as I was, and I felt the guys were trying to play catch up. I glanced over and saw them doing a couple Johnny Vegas shots right in a row. A long leggy blonde approached Edward. My entire body tensed as she ran her hand up and down his arm and laughed. _Hands off bitch_.

I was about to storm over there and stake my claim, which would have been really, really bad to do in front of Alice. And plus he wasn't really mine to claim even though I was starting to wish he was. I stopped and turned back towards the girls when I saw him laughing with her. He was flirting with her. I shouldn't have expected any different with him so I tried to shake it off and decided to have a good time whether or not he was interested or not.

"Body shots!" Alice screamed to the bartender. My eyes widened as Rose smiled and took the salt, shaking it in a small spot on her neck. She took the lime from the bartender as he slid Alice the shot. She dove down to Rose's neck, licking the salt off her skin before downing her shot. She reached up on her tiptoes and took the lime from between Rose's lips, barely brushing hers against them. Alice pulled back and laughed as she took a bow. Emmett, Jasper and Edward stood behind her, their jaws dropped in amazement.

"That was fucking hot," Emmett laughed.

"Ditto," Jasper quipped

"That's my fucking sister." Edward slapped both of them on the chest and went back to his blonde companion.

I laughed and turned back to the bar.

"Excuse me?" A voice beside me said. I turned and saw a guy leaning on the bar, smiling at me. "Would you mind?"

"Huh?" I asked.

He snickered and motioned to the bartender. "One body shot please."

My breath hitched in my throat when I realized what he was doing, but I didn't stop him. I mean he was kind of cute and Edward was preoccupied.

He reached for my arm and turned it over as he pulled it towards him. He poured the salt right in the crook of my elbow and gently placed the lime between my teeth. He winked as he leaned over and licked the salt from my skin, lingering a little longer than necessary. I held my breath as he took the shot and started towards my lips. Just before they touched a warm pair of arms wrapped around my waist.

"Dance with me," Edward purred into my ear, starting to pull me away.

"Excuse me?" The guy yelled. "We're a little busy."

"I'm sorry did you say something Abercrombie?" Edward glared at him. I could almost feel the tension between them and I knew if it went on any longer Edward was going to do something he would regret. I refused to be the catalyst for that.

"Come on." I placed my hands on the sides of Edward's face and pulled his eyes to mine. "Let's go." I needed him to know that I was choosing him. I felt him relax under my touch and he growled once more at the guy as he pulled me away.

I noticed the rest of them were already out on the dance floor and even though I was glad to be away from that situation back at the bar, the dance floor terrified me. I had enough problems dancing at the charity event; I don't ever dance like this.

"Edward I don't think I can do this," I said as he pulled me along.

"Just relax." He spun me around and pressed his chest against my back as he started moving to the music. His hand drifted down my arm and pulled it up behind his neck.

I let my body relax against him, relishing the fact that I could feel him all around me. He allowed his hands to roam down to my shoulders, across the swell of my breasts and down to my hips. I whimpered as he pulled my hips back to his and realized this was cocky Edward. As much as I liked his softer side, I wasn't complaining. The things he did to my body were enough compensation.

"I want you so bad Bella…" He whispered into my ear as he lightly brushed his lips across my neck.

I let out a shaky breath as his fingers started massaging circles on my hips, gravitating lower each time. My stopped moving as he brushed lightly over my center, sending a chill through me.

"See that curtain over there." He nodded across the room. "Meet me behind it in five." He disappeared from behind me and I already missed the contact. I took a deep breath and started back towards the bar to wait. I watched him as he crossed the dance floor and shook hands with the guy standing beside the curtain. He almost looked like he worked here. Edward handed him some money and pointed over towards me before dipping behind the curtain.

"I don't know if I can do this…" I whispered to myself. I bit down on my lip and watched the spot that he disappeared behind. I wanted him like he wanted me but that didn't mean it was a good thing. I started playing with the hem of my dress as I debated. "Can I have a shot?" I called to the bartender.

"What would you like?"

"The strongest thing you've got."

He laughed and poured the shot for me. I started ringing my finger around it as he watched.

"Fuck it," I whispered. I raised the shot glass to my lips and downed it before starting towards the curtain. The man smiled and nodded as I approached, pulling it back for me.

I was surprised to find a whole other room behind it, complete with a couch and tables. Edward sat lazily on the couch, watching me as I stepped in.

"Come here," he murmured as he motioned for me. I walked over and stood between his knees. He'd taken his jacket off and set it beside him, leaving him in a button down shirt. He reached out ran his hand behind my upper thigh, coming to rest behind my knee. He pulled it forward, causing me to fall forward and straddle his waist.

"You want to know the best thing about this room?" He asked.

"Hmm?"

"You can scream as loud as you want and no one will hear you."

A moment later he captured my lips in his, forcing his tongue between them to meet mine. I whimpered as my hands roamed over his chest, smiling inside at how firm his muscles were. He had the most perfect body I'd ever seen, I felt like I should be paying admission just to touch it.

Edward's lips left mine and started devouring my neck as he pulled my dress strap down. I ground my hips against his, gasping when I felt him hard, straining against his pants. He hissed and took my skin between his teeth, biting gently. He sat back and let out a deep breath as he let his head fall back. I took the opportunity to return the favor and leaned down to nip at his neck. My hands drifted to the top of his shirt and undid the first few buttons before navigating my tongue to his chest. He reached around and grabbed hold of my ass, squeezing tightly and grinding me into his hips again. The friction was enough to bring me close to the edge and I wondered if he was there with me.

I moaned as he slid his hand under my dress and ran his finger along the seam of my underwear before dipping inside.

"I want to touch you…" I slurred, reaching for the button of his pants. I quickly undid it and pulled the zipper down as I reached my hand inside. He hissed as my skin hit him, only bringing me closer.

"Edward!" Alice yelled from somewhere outside. I instantly stopped moving my hand against him and almost jumped up in panic. She would flip if she found us like this. Edward seemed unfazed and didn't slow his hand against me.

"It's okay baby, she doesn't know this room exists…" He leaned forward and kissed my neck. Something about knowing that we were so close to getting caught made me feel ever hotter.

I resumed working him as I bucked my hips against his touch.

He groaned as he finished, sitting up and pressing his lips roughly against mine.

"Mr. Cullen?" Someone called lightly inside. I could barely hear him over the music.

"Yeah Joey?" Edward mumbled against my lips.

"I would suggest you not keep Miss Cullen waiting much longer. She's on the rampage looking for you."

"Okay thanks."

"We should go," I murmured, slightly disappointed that I didn't get my release, but I wasn't ready to face the wrath of Alice for that.

"No I'm not done with you yet." Edward suddenly whisked me around and forced me down on the couch. He hovered above me, working his fingers faster. "Are you close?"

I could only manage a nod as I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair. I felt my entire body flush with heat and I knew I was almost there.

Edward leaned down to my ear and bit down, tugging gently on it. "Bella," he whispered, his voice ragged. "I can't wait to be inside of you."

With that my whole body shuddered and stilled. Edward's fingers lingered a few more moments before pulling out from under my dress.

"Wait a few minutes before you come out.' He said, zipping his pants back up and throwing his jacket on. He smirked, licking his fingers as he left.

I laid on the couch for a couple of minutes trying to catch my breath.

"Holy fuck," I whispered, trying to compose myself. I pulled the strap of my dress up and started out. I found the group a few minutes later, standing by the exit like they were ready to go.

"Bella!" Alice sighed. "Where the hell have you been…?" Her voice trailed off as she took in my appearance. "Oh my God!" She squealed. "Did you fuck the body shot guy?"

"What?" My eyes widened. "No!" I didn't technically fuck anyone. There was some major touching, but no fucking. And definitely not with the body shot guy.

"Well who then?" She smiled, her hands on her hips. "I know that look Bella. That's a post-fuck face. And it looked like it was a good one. Who is he?"

"Leave her alone Alice!" Rosalie teased. Her eyes hardened a little as she looked at me and I wondered if she knew. How could she possibly know?

"Where's Edward?" Emmett asked.

"He's closing his tab up at the bar," Alice said, leaning over to kiss Jasper as I tried to straighten out my appearance better. Apparently I didn't do that great of a job in the first place.

Jasper hailed two cabs for us. I guess the guys were off to do their own celebrating while we went back to Alice's for our sleepover. The two couples started kissing as they said goodbye, leaving Edward and I standing alone. His face held a permanent smirk as he kept my eyes to his. My heart fluttered a little, which was impossible because this wasn't my Edward. This was the Edward that made my panties flutter for sure, but not my heart. I didn't understand why it was happening.

"Let's go Bella!" Alice called, effectively pulling me out of my own little world. I glanced at Edward once more before getting in the cab. My head was already starting to hurt and I knew tomorrow's aftermath would be worse. I rested my head against Alice's shoulder on the way home and barely remembered walking up to her apartment or putting my pajamas on. The only thing I remember is drifting off to sleep and dreaming about a certain secret room and the man who was starting to own me, physically and emotionally. I was fucked.

**A/N: I'm definitely with Bella, I want both Edwards. Give them to meeeee!**

**Thanks again guys!  
**


	8. Distractions

**A/N: So I'm so excited for Eclipse this week I'm going a little update crazy, but I'm sure you guys won't mind. ; ) Just a little note for those of you who actually look at it. I've updated my profile and made sure it had the links for all the blogs and schtuff. There's also a small bio about me just in case you wanted to know.**

I already felt like I was going to puke and I hadn't even opened my eyes yet.

"I think she's waking up," Alice said.

"I have a feeling she doesn't want to…" Rose teased. "Bella?" I felt her lean down close to me and start playing with my hair.

"Mmmm…" I slowly inched my eyes open and squinted into the bright light. "What time is it?" I realized I was lying at the foot of Alice's bed with her feet resting on my stomach.

"It's almost four o'clock sleepy head. You slept the day away…" Alice said.

"Oh please Al, you woke up like twenty minutes ago," Rosalie laughed. Alice snickered and threw her pillow at Rose as she took a bite of her cookie.

My head was throbbing, my stomach felt like I'd ingested a gallon full of lemon juice and my mouth tasted like vomit and cheese. My nose wrinkled up in disgust as I tried to sit up, the world swirling all around me.

"We just ordered a pizza, it should be here pretty soon are you hungry?" Alice slid the tray of cookies my way and I had to hold back the vomit.

"No." I shook my head.

"Bella you really should eat something. I know it's the last thing you ever want to do when you're hung-over, but it always helps me." She shrugged and took another cookie.

I jumped as someone's phone rung out, covering my ears from its annoying ringtone that was blasting in my ear. I'm never drinking like that again.

"Hi honey," Rosalie answered. "Yeah we're good. How was your night?" She laughed and ran some chapstick over her lips. "Please tell me you didn't spend all of our money. How many did you buy him?" She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he enjoyed that." She glanced over at me. "Oscar the Grouch is surviving. She just woke up."

I started to get up and flipped her the bird as I looked around. I have no idea how we got in here; in fact I don't remember much after dinner. There were bits and pieces of the night, but it was mostly a blur.

I pulled my hair off my neck and piled it on top of my head before stretching my arms up.

"Holy crap Bella!" Alice squealed.

"What?"

"Someone did a number on you last night." She laughed and leaned forward, brushing her fingers over my neck.

I scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over someone's shoes, and looked in the mirror. There was a set of very distinctive teeth marks on my neck. They didn't hurt. I didn't even know they were there until Alice pointed them out. I closed my eyes, trying to think back to what happened last night. Dancing, curtain, Joey, couch…Edward. _Oh God_.

"So you still aren't going to tell us who he was are you?" Alice whined.

"No. I don't remember," I lied.

"Who knew our little Bella was such a feisty one?" Rosalie smiled.

Sometimes I think my brain is not attached to the rest of my body, or I guess one body part in particular. My hormonal ovaries were definitely getting me in more trouble lately than I cared to be in and I couldn't believe I acted that way with Edward last night. I felt so embarrassed, but in all honesty I knew if I could take it back I wouldn't. I never regretted kissing Edward; I just regretted the situation it was putting me in.

I sat down and reached for my purse, rummaging through it to find my phone. I had four missed calls and six text messages, all from Edward.

**I can still taste you on my lips.**

I took a deep breath and scrolled down. The next two weren't even legible. The last one was from this morning, just before noon.

**Are you okay?**

I threw my phone back in my purse and ran my fingers through my hair as the doorbell rang. Rose jumped up to get it and returned a few minutes later with a large cheese pizza. These girls were definitely my soul mates. Jasper always complained when I ordered the pizza because he liked all this shit on it. I would kill for a hot pizza with nothing but cheesy goodness.

We all leaned back against Alice's headboard, eating pizza and watching television while we waited for the affects of last night to wear off. I think we were more exhausted than anything else. Once I started eating my headache slowly wore off. My stomach was still a little queasy but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

"And stay tuned folks," the woman on the screen announced. "We've got an exclusive story coming up about your favorite tennis player." She winked as the commercials started.

"Oh what the hell are they going to say about him now? " Rosalie sighed.

"Hopefully it's at least something entertaining. I could use a good laugh." Alice turned up the volume as we waited for the show to come back on.

"It seems as though the resident playboy had another new lady on his arm last night when he went out partying for his birthday," she started as a picture of Edward came up on the screen. He was walking down the street with his arm around a brunette in a navy blue dress. I felt the vomit rising up in my throat when I realized it was me. "Cullen met up with his usual group of friends at a swanky restaurant before heading to the hottest club in town, toting this mysterious young lady on his arm who looks very similar to the one spotted taking photographs at some of his recent appearances. Is our favorite bachelor off the market? Sources inside the club claim that they were dancing together provocatively and even spotted kissing a few times. With all of Edward's previous exploits, we're willing to be this is nothing more than a fling. Breathe ladies." The picture of Edward and I disappeared. "And next up we've got another story on Lindsay Lohan and her partying ways…"

I jumped up and headed for the bathroom, unable to hold in the vomit anymore. I dropped to my knees and heaved into the toilet as Rose rushed in behind me and held my hair back. After I was finished she grabbed me a glass of water and we started back towards Alice's room. She practically had to drag me in there. I was terrified I was about to get ripped a new one.

I stepped inside and closed my eyes in anticipation of the yelling. Alice was going to go off on me. She knew now. She knew about me and Edward.

"Bella-" Alice started.

"I'm sorry Alice!" I blurted out. When she remained silent I opened my eyes to find her staring at me, eyes wide.

"What are you sorry for?" She cocked her head to the side and smiled.

"Well you saw it!" I pointed to the television. Alice shrugged and laughed under her breath.

"Bella the media is always making things up, always linking him to anything with a vagina that happens to be around him. To be completely honest, I'm glad they went with you instead of that blonde bimbo he was talking to. It'll blow over don't worry, he'll be onto someone else next week." She took another piece of pizza. Her words sent a shiver through my body. I didn't want him to move onto someone else.

"Is that really how he is? I mean I'm sure there's been someone he's been serious about." I tried to reason with her. I think I was trying to convince myself that I meant something different to him.

"The only actual girlfriend he's had is that train wreck Tanya. He's just not a serious relationship kind of guy and to be honest I like it that way. He can go out and have his fun and not be distracted by anything. He needs to focus on his game right now."

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I mean I love my brother, but I also know he likes to play the field. Girls are just a conquest for him. Especially if they present a challenge. You've seen him on the court, he hates losing. He lives for competition."

I felt like I was going to throw up again as I tried to digest her words. What if that's all I really was to him? A conquest, a victory. I should have realized it earlier with how possessive he is about me. I'd chosen him last night. I'd given him just what he wanted.

"I'm going to be sick." I started towards the bathroom again and barely made it in time before I heaved into the toilet again.

"I got it," Rose called, coming back in behind me and closing the door. She held my hair back again and sighed. "God Bella what were you thinking?" She brushed a cool washcloth over my forehead as I sat back. "Edward is not good for you."

"How did you know?" I whispered, on the verge of tears.

"I saw you two go into that secret room last night." She diverted her eyes to the ground. "I saw all the flirting before but I didn't know you were acting on it until then."

"Please don't tell Alice," I pleaded.

"I won't. I know she'll flip her shit and I wouldn't do that to you or him." She handed me the cool washcloth. "Listen. Edward is a really nice guy and I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but he's going to break your heart Bella. The girls he's with always end up crying because he never…connects with them. It's never more than sex and they find it fun at first, but after a while of just that they realize he'll never let them in emotionally."

"How do you know all of this?"

"Because I was one of them." Her eyes looked sad. "It's how I met Alice." She laughed and shook her head. "I got tired of his shit and told him off and Alice thought that was hilarious. We've been best friends ever since. And after I met Emmett, Edward and I became like brother and sister. I'm in love with Emmett, but I know what kind of wake Edward can leave. It's not pretty Bella."

"Bella?" Alice knocked on the door and peaked her head inside. "I called Jasper to come get you and take you home." She smiled and helped me back into her room so I could pack my things.

I lay back down on Alice's bed as I waited for Jasper. Less than a half hour later he stepped inside and laughed at my appearance.

"Rough night huh?" He teased as he bent down to kiss Alice.

"Did you guys have fun last night?" She asked.

"Yeah. Edward said thank you for the lap dances, by the way."

"What?" I asked.

"I gave Jasper some money to buy him some lap dances since they wouldn't let us go to the strip club with them." Alice tugged on Jasper's shirt.

"It's a guy thing sweetheart."

"What? You think we don't appreciate a good rack and a nice ass the same as you do?" Rosalie quipped.

"Nevermind. I'll just take the little partier home so she can get rid of her hangover."

"I'm not hung-over," I snapped. I was just sick to my stomach after thinking about all this Edward stuff.

"Right. Honey do you have a pan or something we can bring with us. I don't want her throwing up in my car." Jasper knelt down beside the bed and I hopped on his back, resting my head lazily on his shoulder.

"Sure." Alice disappeared out into the kitchen as Jasper carried me out. Rosalie slung my bag over his shoulder and told me to call her if I wanted to talk some more. I nodded as Alice kissed my cheek and sent us off.

Jasper carried me down to his car and set me inside before getting in on his side.

"God Bella what the hell did you do last night?" He laughed.

"Something bad," I whispered.

"I guess so. You look like hell run over."

"Thanks."

He drove us home and gave me another ride up to our apartment. He laid me down in my bed and got me some Tylenol and a glass of water. I took a little nap and woke up around nine. I really wanted to talk to Rosalie some more, but I wasn't sure if she was home yet.

I reached out for my cell phone and dialed her number.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Rose."

"Bella. How are you feeling, are you okay?"

"Umm…I'm feeling fine but I'm not okay," I admitted.

"Okay well talk to me."

It felt good to finally be able to talk about this with someone other than Jasper. I mean he was my best friend, but he wasn't a girl. He didn't fully understand everything and as shocked as I was about it, Rosalie did.

I told her about the night Edward showed up and made me dinner and about seeing him yesterday morning. She was a little shocked that he actually asked me out on a real date.

"Bella maybe it was wrong of me to say what I said to you earlier. I mean I still believe all those things, but at the same time it's not really my place to tell you what to do. I was just looking out for you," she said.

"No, I know you were. It's okay."

"Are you still going to go tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I don't know if I can." I shook my head as I heard a commotion on the other end.

"Edward and Emmett just walked in," she said quietly.

"Rosie!" I heard her kiss Emmett. "Who are you talking to?"

"It's Bella."

"Bella?" Edward said. "Let me talk to her."

"This is private conversation dick. If she wanted to talk to you, she'll call you," Rose snapped.

"Just give it to me Rose, I texted her like ten times and she never got back to me. I just want to make sure she's okay."

"She's fine."

There was a long pause before Rose sighed and Edward's voice echoed in my ear.

"Bella?"

"Hi," I mumbled.

"Are you okay? They said you were pretty sick."

"Yeah I guess I drank too much last night," I lied.

"Okay well get some rest. I'll call you tomorrow okay?"

"Yep."

Rose got back on the phone and apologized for our interruption.

"It's okay, I'll let you go. I'm going to try and go to bed anyway." I flipped my television on and started looking through the channels.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later."

I hung up and threw my phone down on my bed. I felt so guilty for some reason. Guilty for what I'd done last night and guilty for thinking those awful things about Edward. It wasn't like they weren't at least partially true but a part of me still felt badly about it. As much as I wanted to say that it didn't matter, it did. It planted a seed of doubt deep inside me and I had no idea if I would be able to get over it. I made up my mind right then and there. I couldn't go out with him tomorrow.

I didn't sleep well at all. My mind was racing, going back and forth about my date with Edward tomorrow. And sleeping all day didn't really help either. I finally fell into a deep sleep around four in the morning and slept till noon. I knew I had to call Edward and tell him I couldn't make it, but I had no idea if I could lie to him.

My fingers shook as I dialed his number and waited. _Please go to voicemail, please go to voicemail._

"Hello?" _Fuck._

"Hey it's Bella."

"Oh hi! I was just going to call you actually. I made reservations for us tonight. I thought we could go to that new restaurant downtown and maybe afterwards head down to that festival down by the water…"

"Edward?"

"Yeah."

"I'm really sorry but I can't go. I uh…I think I'm sick."

"You're not still hung-over are you?"

"No. I think…I think it's the flu."

"Oh," his voice fell. "Okay, another time then."

I blinked away the tears when I heard his disappointment. He sounded genuinely sad.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"It's okay. Just rest and I hope you feel better."

"Thanks."

I hung up and wiped away a tear. I hadn't realized that I had been holding my breath the whole time.

I migrated out onto the couch and decided to laid on my ass all day, pouting about how shitty this had all turned out. I'd give it one day before moving on. Sometimes you just need a day to feel sorry for yourself.

I heard Jasper get up and take a shower before coming out into the kitchen. He made himself a sandwich and said he was heading over to Alice's for the night. I was kind of happy to be alone for the night. It would give me some time to relax and maybe think through this whole thing.

I was on my fourth episode of Family Guy when there was a knock on my door. I sighed and got up, bringing my blanket along with me to answer the door. And for the second time, it was Edward.

"Oh!" I gasped. "W-w-what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to check on you. I brought you some stuff." He nodded towards the numerous bags in his hands. I bit down on my lip and stepped aside so he could come inside. This had bad news written all over it.

"I didn't really know what your symptoms were so I got you everything." He dumped the bags on the counter. "There's cold medicine, more Tylenol, Alka-Seltzer, some hot herbal tea that the lady at the store suggested, some shit that makes your bath water all fizzy, Kleenex with the lotion, a heating pad and some DVD's from Blockbuster."

My heart swelled looking at all the things he'd brought me, but I pushed those feelings back remembering my decision from last night.

"Well thanks." I nodded, thinking he was going to leave now. "Are you still going out tonight?" I figured he'd probably asked someone else out already.

"Uh…no I was going to hang out here with you if that's okay?"

"But…you made reservations. Don't you want to use them? I mean you could ask someone else?"

"Bella I asked you out because I wanted to spend time with you. I don't want a replacement Bella, I want the real thing. Even if she is sick." He smiled and started going through the things he'd bought. "So what are your symptoms?"

I listed off some stereotypical symptoms and he decided that the cold medicine was probably the best thing for me. He set two out on the counter and got me a glass of water.

"How would you like to take a hot bath? Would that make you feel better you think?" He reached for the bath fizzies.

I shrugged and he disappeared into the bathroom. While he was gone I put the pills back in the bottle and threw the water in the sink so he'd think I took them. I sat down at the bar stool and buried my face in my hands.

I was going to hell. My Edward was in the next room trying to take care of me and I wasn't even sick. I didn't deserve his attention.

"Bella?" Edward called.

"Yeah," I said flatly.

"Did you take those pills?"

"Yeah," I lied.

"Okay I got your bath ready and got out some towels and stuff." He wrung his hands together. "Just take your time, I'll be right out here if you need me."

I shuffled to the bathroom and almost broke down in tears when I saw everything. He had the bathtub filled up perfectly, along with bubbles. The smell of strawberries flitted through the air. He set some towels on the floor beside the bathtub and had retrieved some new pajamas and set it on the sink. A few candles were lit around the edge of the tub, setting off a soft glow of light into the room.

I closed the door behind me as a tear slid down my cheek. I wiped it away and let my clothes fall to the floor. I stepped into the water and settled down as I leaned my head back.

I let myself cry in silence until I had no more tears. I was in there so long that I almost fell asleep. The water was just so relaxing and all the stress of the situation had just worn me out.

"Bella?" Edward knocked. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah I'll be out in a minute." I unplugged the bathtub and stepped out, grabbing a towel. After I dried myself off I put on my pajamas and wrapped my hair in a towel.

Edward smiled at me as I came out and sat down beside him on the couch. I tensed as he leaned over, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and kissing my temple. "Feel a little better?"

I nodded and turned my eyes to the screen. He was watching one of the movies he got at the store.

"Are you excited to go to Europe next week?" He asked, rubbing up and down my arm.

"Yeah. I never thought I'd go to Europe."

"It's amazing. London is my favorite town in the entire world."

"Have you played at Wimbledon before?" I asked.

"Yeah the last two years. I went out in the first couple of rounds but I've been working my ass off this year. I have a good feeling."

I made it through a movie and a half before I fell asleep against his shoulder. I woke up later in the middle of the night in my own bed, alone. He must have gone home. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I stood up and started towards the kitchen, feeling the dry scratchy feeling in my throat. My feet stopped as soon as I walked into the living room.

Edward was curled up on the couch, clutching a pillow to his side. I quietly got myself a glass of water before throwing a blanket over him and going back to bed.

We left for London in a week. I decided that it would be a good opportunity to wean myself off of him. He was going to be busy with the tournament and I would be busy taking pictures and exploring. I just needed to keep myself occupied until the withdrawal symptoms faded. I was getting out for the both of us. We were a toxic mix and either one of the both of us was going to get hurt.

When I woke up the next morning he was gone. I stored all of his supplies away and started packing everything, including my feelings for him, hoping they would never come out again.

**A/N: Okay I know that its hidden behind a mound of asshole, but you can so tell that Edward has a crush on Bella. You guys must really want to see what's going on in his head because you have been amazing with the reviews. Thank you for the support!**

**And also just a little comment about Alice. She obviously has no idea what's going on with Edward and Bella and I honestly don't think she really understood the weight of her words and what affect they would have on Bella. I don't think its because she never wants him to settle down and be happy possibly someday but she was just being honest about how she felt right now. And for her she'd rather have him stay the way he is, because as much as he's invested in playing tennis, so is she. In her eyes she thinks a serious relationship is going to distract him from his game. I didn't want everyone attacking Alice. I'm not saying she should have said what she said but I understand why she felt like she had to say it.**

**That's all! Next update will probably be mid to end of the week. I hope all of you who are going to see Eclipse on Tuesday evening enjoy it : )  
**


	9. Avoidance

**A/N: In case you're interested I did post a review of Eclipse on the GSM blog. Obviously if you don't want to know anything about the movie don't read it haha. **

I spent the next two days developing pictures in the dark room. Edward texted me a few times, but my replies were always short, just one or two words. I knew it was driving him crazy and I was a little surprised he didn't randomly show up at my door for the third time.

The next week was rough. He kept trying to talk to me while he was practicing, but I just avoided him. I didn't stay afterwards, I didn't show up early. I definitely didn't answer my front door. I left all that up to Jasper. Edward stopped by twice that week, but Jasper refused to let him in. He told him I wasn't there even though I was just hiding in the hallway.

Our flight left pretty early that next Monday morning, so Jasper and I made sure all of our stuff was already packed and by the front door. When my alarm went off that morning I just rolled out of bed, brushed my hair and teeth and grabbed our passports. Jasper threw on a hat and called a cab for us. We were supposed to meet the rest of them at Alice's place and then we were being driven to the airport.

They were all standing out by the corner when we got there and Edward and Emmett helped load our things from the cab to one of the other cars. I was aware of his eyes on me as he opened the door for me and I jumped inside. Edward, Jasper, Alice and I sat in one car with Rose and Emmett in the other with all of the luggage. Edward sat in front and he kept stealing glances at me in the rearview mirror. I could see all the questions in his eyes and I had to look away, afraid that I was going to breakdown.

There was already a line of paparazzi waiting for us at the airport when we arrived. As soon as Edward stepped out they were screaming and snapping pictures, blinding all of us with their lights. Emmett went first, holding Rose tightly behind him. She was lucky he was so bulky; he practically acted as a shield. Jasper and Alice followed, him keeping hold of her by the waist. I didn't realize I'd stopped moving in the mass of people until someone grabbed my hand.

Edward quickly darted through the crowd, pulling me behind him. As soon as we got inside I let go of his hand and hurried to catch up with the rest of them.

We checked in at one of those kiosk things and breezed through security. We got there the latest that we possibly could so we wouldn't have to sit around waiting, but we still had a couple of hours. Once we found our gate, I got up to do some exploring to waste some time. I purchased a few magazines, a book, and a children's activity book to keep me occupied.

"Whatcha got there little lady?" Jasper leaned over as I sat down. "Children's activity book. Wonderful."

I opened it to the first page and read the directions. "I have to find 12 donuts in this picture, do you want to help?"

"Um. Yeah," he said enthusiastically.

We spent the next twenty minutes looking for the donuts. Edward sat across from us, occasionally looking up from his magazine at Jasper and I. A few people came up every now and then to ask for autographs or pictures and Edward always obliged with a smile.

We were the first to be loaded on the plane, first class of course. I've only ever ridden in coach but I think after now I was going to be ruined for it. I had my own seat, separate from the others. That meant no sharing armrests and no annoying people getting up and spilling your drink when they need to go to the bathroom. It was the most comfortable seat I've ever sat in, complete with a large pillow, blanket and my own personal cup holder in my armrest. The seat in front of me had a small television on the back of it, with a large selection of movies and television shows for me to watch.

"Pretty snazzy huh?" Edward turned around from his seat in front of me and smiled.

"Yeah," I sighed.

I snuggled into my seat and picked out a movie to watch. The stewardess came over and asked what I'd like to drink so I went with some wine. They gave me my own little bottle.

It was a long plane ride, but I guess being like this didn't make it so bad. I fell asleep for about half of it and watched a couple of movies. I think the wine probably helped too.

When we got to Heathrow there was another group of paparazzi waiting for us. We were quickly ushered into a few large cars and whisked away to the hotel.

I shouldn't have expected any less but the hotel was amazing. I don't think I've ever seen so much gold in one room. And that was just the entryway to the lobby.

We were greeted by the manager of the hotel and shown to our rooms. They were nice enough to put us all on the same floor, Edward and I the only ones bunking alone.

"Hey do you guys want to go get something to eat? We can go out after." Emmett asked as we all separated to our respective rooms.

"Uh…no I think I'm just going to stay and unpack. I'm not really hungry," I shook my head.

"Are you sure?" Alice said.

"Yeah you guys all go." I smiled and started in to my room. "Have fun though."

"Okay everyone meet down in the lobby in ten," Emmett said, pulling Rose into their room.

Edward waited until everyone else was in their rooms before he started towards me. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No it's okay. Go out." I tried to avoid his eyes. The trick is to look at the eyebrows. That way it looks like you're looking at them but you're really not. A few inches lower would be the death of me.

"Okay," Edward mumbled. He shuffled back to his room as I closed my door behind me.

My room was huge, probably almost the size of my apartment. There was a small living room area with a bar and a small kitchen. French doors off the living room opened up to a luxurious bedroom with a king sized bed and its own balcony and bathroom.

I plopped down on the bed and closed my eyes. "Operation Avoid Edward" was in full effect and so far I was doing good. I actually said no to him. Of course it was only to dinner so that wasn't a big test, but it was something.

I unpacked all my clothes, hanging some up in the closet and putting the rest in the drawers. I barely even heard the knock on the door. I skipped over to it, expecting to find anything except for what I did.

"Hey I brought you some food." Edward held out a box and came inside. "It's a chicken sandwich, I hope that's okay."

"Um…yeah that's fine. Thank you, you didn't have to do that." I glanced back at the door, assuming he was going to leave now.

"Are you sure you don't want to go out with us? I mean I could stay in and we could watch a movie or something?" He stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Edward…" I sighed. "What are you doing?"

"I think we're just headed to a bar down the street."

"No I mean…what are you doing? What is all this?" I held up the box of food. "Bringing food, medicine, staying in when your friends are going to the bar. That's not who you are."

He blinked a few times, trying to process what I'd just said. In all honesty I don't know why I said it, but everything was just becoming too much.

"I…" He started. "I don't really know who I am." He turned around and left.

I put the chain on behind him and went to bed, too exhausted to even think about what just happened.

Jasper woke me up the next morning, begging me to go sightseeing with him. Everyone else had been to London before so they had seen everything. He called us the London virgins and insisted that we go out and pop our cherry.

I took a quick shower and got dressed while he waited out in my living room.

We started out at the Tower of London. Apparently Alice had arranged a whole sightseeing tour for us at some of the best places. We got to skip all the lines and had our own personal tour guide for each place. After we were done with the Tower of London we had lunch along the river before taking a taxi to Buckingham Palace. Jasper and I tried to make the guards laugh, but they stood their ground. It was a little disappointing. That was always my one goal if I ever got to come here. I begged Jasper to stop at Piccadilly Circus and we ended up buying a ton of touristy souvenirs before heading back to the hotel. Everyone else was tired, so the two of us just grabbed a bite to eat in the hotel's restaurant.

"So…what's the deal with you and Edward?" Jasper said, taking a bite of his burger.

"Nothing." I pushed my food around on my plate. "I just don't think it's going to work out."

"Do you want it to work out?"

I shrugged. "I mean I like my Edward, the other one can be kind of irritating."

"Wait what?"

"Oh." I blushed in embarrassment. "Don't laugh okay? There are two Edwards. There's the competitive, smug bastard of a tennis player and then there's my Edward. He's nice and sweet and down to earth and I just can't seem to reconcile the two. I wish he could just…meet in the middle you know? Be the best parts of both."

"No I get it. I think." He smiled and set his burger down. "So what's the plan?"

"Right now I just need some time to figure it out. Figure me out I guess. I don't even know really what I want. I have to decide if he's worth the risk."

"Do you think you could fall in love with him?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

"Well isn't love always worth the risk?" He smirked.

We finished our dinner and walked back up to our rooms. Jasper came in and hung out for a little bit while he waited for Alice to wake up from her nap. I told him he should go wake her up anyway because otherwise she won't be able to sleep tonight and Edward started pre-tournament stuff tomorrow morning. No doubt she'd be following him around like a hawk. He finally agreed with me and started towards the door. He leaned down and kissed my cheek before opening the door.

"Think about what I said huh? The choice is always yours Bella, remember that." He turned to leave, but stopped dead in his tracks. "Edward."

I pulled the door open even further and sure as shit there he was. "What are you doing here?" I asked, leaning my head against the door.

"Just…seeing what you were doing." He looked nervously between Jasper and I.

"You should go to bed Edward. You have a long day tomorrow. Goodnight." I nodded as Jasper stepped out and closed the door on the both of them.

I was going to just walk away, but as soon as I heard their voices I spun around and looked out the peephole.

"Cullen," Jasper said. "I need to have a word with you."

Edward crossed his arms in front of him and sighed. "Okay."

"Bella is my best friend and I would do anything for her. Literally anything. I know that she likes you and if, and that's a big if, she decides to continue whatever the two of you have going on that's her decision. But so help me if you hurt her, I will have no problem dealing with you. Don't think I'm blind Edward. I saw you with that stripper the other night at the club and I will gladly kick your ass if you ever…" He trailed off. "Bella deserves something good in her life. And if you can't be that something good for her then leave her be and go play your games with someone else."

"I want to be good for her Jasper. I don't want to hurt her." Edward shook his head.

"Then you'll wait until she's ready." Jasper stepped forward and harshly jabbed Edward's chest. "Now go back to your room and leave her alone."

Edward glanced at my door once more, almost like he knew I was standing there, before he walked off. Jasper waited until he was gone before he retreated back to Alice.

I turned around and allowed myself to fall down the back of the door. I sat on the ground and pulled my knees up to my chest as I went through their conversation. Did he sleep with a stripper the other night? Why would he do that if he claims he wants to be good? He said he wanted to be good for me.

I wiped the tears away and started towards my bedroom. I was supposed to go to all these places with them tomorrow. Edward had some interviews and photo opportunities before he started training with Emmett.

My alarm woke me up the next morning and all I wanted to do was stay in bed all day. I finally rolled out of bed and pulled some clothes on. After I got ready I gathered my camera bag and started down towards the lobby.

As I waited for the elevator I tapped my foot anxiously to the music playing lightly in my headphones.

"Good morning Bella," Edward said, stepping beside me. I barely glanced his way and stared back at the elevator.

"Edward."

The door opened and we both stepped inside, obvious to the awkward tension between us.

"Bella I…"

"Edward! Bella!" Alice shouted. "Hold the door!" She rushed inside before either of us could get another word in. "Are you ready for the day?" She smiled. "Edward we've got some interviews with the local papers before your press conference. And then you've got some promotional pictures to take before you start with Emmett at four." She tapped away at her PDA while she spoke.

The rest of the day was a flurry of activity. We were bustled about from one place to another. I couldn't believe that Edward could keep his cool being in an environment like this all the time. No wonder he has anger issues.

Rosalie joined us as we were on our way to the press conference and said that Emmett and Jasper were going to watch some of the other players practice.

We walked into a large room full of reporters and cameras, flashbulbs going off everywhere. There was a small stage equipped with a long table. There were three chairs, three microphones and three glasses of water. I noticed there were nametags in front of each microphone. Alice Cullen, agent. Edward Cullen. Rosalie Hale, assistant. I stood beside the wall as they all walked up on stage.

Rosalie spoke first after they sat down.

"Hello everyone and thank you for coming to this press conference. Mr. Cullen will be happy to a few questions before he has to leave for practice." She leaned back and everyone started shouting questions. "Yes you in the red shirt."

"Edward, George Daley, London Times. This is your third Wimbledon appearance. Your last two years have ended in early defeats. What have you done differently this year to prepare?"

Edward took a sip of his water and leaned towards the microphone. "Well those performances were definitely a disappointment. I think I've grown a lot as a person and as a player even from last year. I've hired a new coach and he's given me a brand new focus for my game. I've been practicing more, spending more time in the weight room and perfecting my technique. I hope to have a better performance this year."

The screaming ensued again.

"Yes," Rosalie pointed. "The lady in the white and blue dress!"

"Edward, Linda Hamilton, New York Times. It's no secret that you sometimes become very confrontational during your games. Some are even comparing you to John McEnroe. Would you like to comment on this?"

"Well Linda, if it's no secret I don't know how much I have to comment on," he laughed nervously. "I just love this game so I won't apologize for being passionate about it. Next."

"Man in front here!" Rosalie shouted.

"Yes, Bob Smith with the Sun. There were some pictures taken of you recently with a young woman named Isabella Swan, who appears to be doing some kind of work with you. Are you two engaged in a romantic relationship?"

My breath hitched in my throat. _Crap_.

"I think we should keep the questions to Mr. Cullen's career please," Rosalie said.

"No Rose it's okay," Edward said. "Bella is a very talented photographer and is doing a photo feature on me for Sports Illustrated. Since she's basically being paid to stalk me, we do end up spending a lot of time together and she's becoming a very good friend. Those pictures were taken the night of my birthday and we were out with a big group of friends, including my lovely sister and her boyfriend, and they were completely innocent." He glanced very briefly over at me. "Now if you'll excuse me I must go start my practice for the game tomorrow."

The three of them got up and walked off stage.

We dropped Edward off with Emmett and went back to our hotel rooms. I was so exhausted I fell asleep on my couch watching television.

When I woke up it was already starting to get dark outside. I glanced at my clock and saw it was close to nine and I was wide awake, I decided to go and see what Alice and Jasper were doing so I ran a brush through my hair and started towards the door.

Sitting outside on a silver platter was an envelope with "Miss Swan" written delicately on the cover. I looked down each side of the hallway, wondering who had dropped it off or who it was from. I picked it up and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

_Meet me down in the lobby._

There was no name, no indication of who wrote it. I wondered if Edward would try something so soon after the talk, or I guess after Jasper's talk, and decided that nothing would surprise me when it came to him. I grabbed my key and started down towards the lobby. It didn't mean I was doing whatever he wanted me to do, but I wasn't going to make him sit down in the lobby for hours either.

The lobby was fairly empty except for a few people passing through. I looked around, searching for the bronze mop of hair I thought I'd find down here. He wasn't here.

"Hello Bella," a voice said from behind me. Jake took a step in front of me and smiled. I guess I kind of forgot he might be here; he was playing in the tournament.

"Jacob?"

"I see you got my note."

"Yeah," I laughed. "I didn't think…How long have you been waiting down here?"

"A little over an hour."

"Sorry I was asleep. How did you know what room I was in?" I elbowed his ribs lightly.

"Please, don't ever doubt my skills of persuasion." He winked.

"So what's up?"

"I wanted to take you somewhere."

"Now?"

"Yes now."

"But it's getting late, I mean…don't you have to get some rest before tomorrow?"

He shook his head. "I'll be okay. Besides nighttime is the best time for this." He reached his hand out to mine. "Come on. I promise it's worth it."

I crossed my arms in front of me and stared into his dark brown eyes, trying to see what he was really after. I knew I was going to go with him. He'd peaked my interest. But I could at least be a little prepared if he was going to try something fishy.

I brushed past him and started towards the front door of the hotel.

"Are you coming Black?" I called.

He laughed and jogged to meet me. He hailed a cab and told him to take us down to the riverfront. I wondered what could be down there that was so fantastic.

"Okay," Jake said as we got closer to the river. "You'll see it in a minute. Look up over there." He pointed ahead of us to the left. "Wait for it."

As we round a corner, I saw a huge Ferris wheel type thing sitting down by the water, except it was bigger than any Ferris wheel I'd ever seen. There were little orbs of light every so often around the outside.

"What is it?" I asked.

"That's the London Eye and it's got the best view of London in the whole city," he smiled.

"We're not going up there?" I instinctively reached out for his arm. I wasn't really afraid of heights per se, but I also didn't go around dangling myself up in the air in a hamster ball.

"Yep."

"Jake," I said, shaking my head. "I don't think I can do it."

"You can."

We pulled up to the curb and Jake paid the cabbie as we got out. There was a short line of people waiting to get on. Some of them recognized Jake and asked to take a few pictures.

I shivered a little as we waited, wrapping my arms around myself to keep warm. I guess I didn't realize it would be so chilly out.

"Here." Jake wrapped his jacket around my shoulders as we reached the front of the line. He purchased two tickets and we were led up a ramp towards the Eye. He gave the man our tickets, who in turn led us to our very own cage. He opened the door for us and Jake held my hand as we walked on and sat. I started panicking a little when the operator closed and locked the door behind us, but Jake held tightly onto my hand and told me to relax. There was something calming about him and even though I thought I had feelings for Edward, it was nice to just be with someone like this and not have to worry about all the tension or questions.

We jerked forward and started our ascent up. I closed my eyes tightly and Jake laughed a little at my trepidation.

"Bella, don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered.

I shook my head and tried to think of happy things. Puppies. Flowers. Rainbows. Edward.

"You're going to miss it," Jake teased.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

"Holy shit…" I mumbled. I could see practically the whole city from up here, lights for miles. There were a few boats floating down the river and crowds of people that looked like ants walking along the sidewalks. "This is beautiful."

"I told you."

We went around a few more times before they let us off. Jake took me for ice cream and we walked along the river a little before heading back to the hotel.

It was close to midnight when he walked me to my room and I assumed everyone else was already in bed.

"Thanks for tonight Jake. It was a lot of fun." I reached for my key and turned towards me door.

"Wait Bella." He grabbed onto my arm and pulled me closer to him.

He dropped his arm to my waist and licked his lips as he leaned in. He was going to kiss me and I didn't know if I wanted him to or not, but I didn't stop him. Maybe this would be the test for me. Maybe if I kissed someone else I would finally know if my feelings for Edward could be anything more than just butterflies. I hated thinking of using Jake that way, and it wasn't that I didn't like him, but this thing with Edward was so much more complicated than he could even imagine.

I closed my eyes the moment he pressed his lips to mine. I allowed my hands to roam up to his neck and through his hair, giving it my all to try and just feel something. There was just nothing there. No electricity, no sparks, definitely no butterflies.

"Jake," I mumbled against his lips. "I…I don't think…"

"Open your eyes Bella," he whispered as he caressed my cheek.

I slowly inched them open, but I didn't see Jake. I saw Edward. He stood down the hallway, frozen halfway into his room. His shoulders heaved up and down as he stared at Jake and I, almost like he was trying to hold it in. I realized then that it was never going to be Jake. It was Edward. Always Edward.

"Edward," I mumbled, brushing past Jake. "Edward wait," I called as he disappeared inside his room. I reached it just as it closed shut. "Edward." I knocked lightly. "Please. Talk to me," I whispered. I rested my forehead against his door, praying that he'd open it. As soon as I heard the deadbolt snap into place the tears started falling freely from my eyes.

"Bella?" Jake gently grabbed my shoulder.

"I'm sorry Jake, I can't. There's…there's someone else." I turned towards him and wiped my eyes.

"I think I knew that…deep down," he smiled apologetically. "Can't blame a guy for trying can ya?" He leaned forward and kissed my cheek before heading towards the elevators.

I sat by Edward's door for another half hour before I went back to my room alone. I set my alarm and crawled into bed, crying until I fell asleep.

**A/N: As hard as it was to see, I think Edward needed a dose of his own medicine. And FYI London happens to be my favorite place in the world so I had a lot of fun writing this chapter : ) What'd you think of Jake's date?**

**Also since you guys are right on your way to getting to that 750 review mark, I'm going to put up a poll on my profile with possible Edward POV's soon. I think I'm going to wait a little so you'll have some more options since we'll be a little farther along in the story. So keep an eye out for news on that.  
**

**Recc:**

**Emancipation Proclamation by kharizzmatik. My favorite fanfic of all time, literally. It's got an amazing plot and had me hooked from the very first chapter. So if you haven't checked it out already, please do.  
**


	10. Thunder, Lightning and Shakespeare

Edward had a match first thing in the morning the next day. Him and Alice had to be there pretty early so he could warm up with Emmett, but she told me I could come around eight. As long as I had my pass I should be okay to get in.

I wasn't really sure how Edward was going to act towards me today. I wish I could tell him that last night was just a misunderstanding. I was almost tempted to call him last night but I didn't want to bother him the night before a match. And I didn't even know if he would talk to me. I've never seen him look so defeated, it broke my heart.

I knew in that moment that I didn't want him to ever hurt like that again. And even though I didn't really know what that meant, I knew it meant something. Maybe he didn't deserve it, but that didn't change the fact that I felt it. Even if he didn't want me back I had to tell him or I was going to regret it forever.

I followed Alice's directions and headed down to the court Edward was supposed to play on. I flashed my pass to the security guards and they let me pass. I made my way through the crowds of people and eventually made it to the court. I stood back against the wall and looked around for someone I knew. I finally spotted Alice, Rose, Emmett and Jasper up in the stands. They were in the front row not too far from me.

"Bella!" Alice waved. I sauntered over as she leaned over the railing.

"Hey. How's he doing?"

"Oh he was his usual grumpy ass this morning. I think something was bothering him, but I hope it was just nervous. He wants this so bad Bella. I hope his nerves don't get the best of him."

I felt this overwhelming wave of dread wash over me. This was my fault. He was upset about last night and if he lost today it would be all on me. I didn't know if I could handle that.

"Bella are you okay? You don't look so good," she said.

"Yeah I'm fine," I whispered. "I'll see you after the match." I took a deep breath and walked away.

I sat down and started getting my things out while more people filed in. I noticed a few more photographers lining up beside me, fiddling with their equipment. I couldn't help but feel jealous at all of their nice cameras. I mean I love my baby, but their shit is nice.

"Please welcome Edward Cullen to the court!" The announcer said. I held my breath and looked up. Edward walked out onto the court, brushing so close to me I could smell him. He walked across to the other side without a glance and sat down on his bench.

I watched as brought his foot up on the bench and retied his shoes before he started playing with his racquet.

I started taking some random pictures, gradually making my way to the other side of the court. His eyes stayed on the court or on his racquet as I got closer. I took a few more steps towards him and his eyes briefly flickered up to mine.

"Hi," I whispered.

"Bella I really need to focus right now. Could you just…stick to your job and take pictures like you're supposed to?"

The tears started stinging in my eyes as I tried to hold them back. "Yeah. Sorry." I backed up. "Good luck."

He glanced at me again as I walked away.

Edward won his first match, but it wasn't pretty. He lost the first two sets before coming back and winning the next three. I think Alice about crapped her pants. I was just happy that after watching so many matches I was starting to get most of the technical parts of the game.

After he lost the second set he threw his racquet down so hard that it snapped in two and he had to get a replacement. This was so much more than his competitive side breaking through. He was angry.

Edward avoided me the rest of the day, even declining to join the rest of us for dinner. He claimed that he was tired, but I didn't believe a word of it.

I think Rosalie knew there was something wrong with me at dinner but she didn't press the issue. Not with Alice around. I barely ate my food or talked with anyone. It wasn't because I was necessarily upset or depressed, my mind was just racing a million miles a minute and I couldn't slow it down.

After dinner we walked around a little bit, but it was starting to look like it was going to rain so we headed back to the hotel fairly early. I eyed Edward's door as we passed and resisted the urge to go to him.

"Bella we all going to hang out in our room, do you want to come?" Alice said, unlocking their door.

"Um…no I think I'm just going to head to my room."

"Okay. Are you up for shopping tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure," I mumbled.

"Okay great!" She clapped her hands together and smiled. "Goodnight Bella."

"Goodnight." I slipped back to my room as they congregated in Alice and Jasper's room.

I needed some kind of release. All this stress was building up inside me and I could almost feel myself coiling up like a spring. Sooner or later it was going to snap.

I gathered up my camera and decided to take advantage of the last little bit of daylight. I found myself wandering around the hotel, eventually making my way up the service stairs. I came across a door that read "Rooftop Garden" so I pushed through it and started up. I wasn't sure if it would be like the parks back in Seattle but it was better than nothing.

The next door opened to a small rooftop looking out towards the river in the distance. There were small patches of grass, which were a little weird seeing as I was on top of a building, that were covered with all different types of flowers and bushes. I smiled and started snapping some pictures, feeling my tension start to float away. I couldn't explain why it relaxed me as much as it did; maybe it had something to do with my mother's love for photography. It was almost like every time I took pictures I could feel her with me. I missed her so much it almost made me curl up in a ball, just to keep myself held together. I wished I could talk to her, just one more time. She always gave the best advice and that's all I needed right now.

"What the hell do I do now Mom?" I whispered.

As soon as I felt the first drop of rain I hurried inside, not wanting my camera to get damaged. By the time I made it back to my room it was absolutely pouring inside. We'd actually been pretty fortunate to have great weather so far. I mean it was London; it was almost like the Seattle of Europe.

I put my camera away and took a quick shower before I went to bed. I lay there for a while before I fell asleep, playing idly with the edge of my sheets. The rain eventually lulled me off to sleep with its soft constant tapping against my window.

I jolted out of bed hours later as a crack of thunder echoed out. I clung my blanket tight to my body and looked around the darkened room trying to catch my breath. I lay back down in bed and tried to relax, but a flash of lighting illuminated the room and I tensed up again.

I was afraid of two things: clowns and thunderstorms. When I was little, before my dad stopped actually being a father to me, I used to curl up in his chair with him whenever a big storm rolled through Forks. After he left I would just cry and cry with the covers over my head, waiting for it to pass. And now I would always just creep over to Jasper's room and crawl into bed with him. He would just hold me and tell me it was okay. He never teased me about it and never complained, even when I cried silently all over his shirt. As much as he wanted to be that safe place for me, something was always off. He dulled away the terror, but it didn't go away.

I gasped as the thunder rang out again, trying to fight back the tears in my eyes. I wrapped myself up in my blanket and got up, wobbling across my floor and towards the front door.

I shuffled down the hallway and stopped outside Alice and Jasper's room. I was half-tempted to knock and beg them to let me stay with them, but as I leaned in I heard noises that at that time were a lot scarier than the thunder. I didn't even want to think about what they were doing.

I spun around and eyed Edward's door down the hallway. I took a few tentative steps, jumping with another roll of thunder. I bit down on my lip and knocked lightly on his door, not even expecting him to answer. Even if he was there and he was alone, I couldn't imagine that he wanted to talk to me.

I found myself chewing on the edge of my blanket as I waited for him to answer. Just as I was about to walk away his door swung open and he leaned against the doorway looking like he'd just rolled out of bed. He wore flannel pajama pants, hung low on his hips. His hair was a mess of epic proportions, sticking up every which way and for a moment I panicked, thinking he might not be alone. That looked like sex hair.

"Bella what are you doing? It's after midnight," he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

"I uh…Listen I know it sounds really stupid but I have this intense fear of thunderstorms…" A tear slipped down my cheek. "And I usually go and lay with Jasper, but um…him and Alice are busy and I didn't know where else to go." I diverted my eyes to the floor.

"Why don't you call Jacob, I'm sure he'd be happy to come over," he snapped.

"Oh okay. This coming from a 24 hour whore motel?" My breath hitched in my throat as I turned away from him. I don't even know where that came from. This was a mistake. "Forget it," I stuttered as I started walking away.

"Bella," Edward sighed.

I turned back and noticed he'd opened his door wider to let me in.

"Thank you," I nodded and stepped inside. He closed it and deadbolted it behind me.

His room was bigger than mine, with a more extensive kitchen and larger living room. It was more like an apartment than a hotel room.

"Do you want some coffee or tea or something?" He ran his fingers through his hair and started rummaging around in the kitchen. I sat down at the bar and watched him as he started heating up some water in his coffee pot.

"Tea would be nice."

He pulled out two coffee cups and two teabags while he waited the few minutes for the water to heat. He poured some water in my cup and passed it to me.

"So how long have you been scared of thunderstorms?" He asked, leaning over and resting his elbows on the counter.

"For as long as I can remember. It got a lot worse after…after my dad left." I took a sip.

"Sorry."

I blinked away the tears and shook my head. "It's stupid."

"No it's not. I panic every time I see a spider. Like screaming up on the chair, freaking the fuck out."

I couldn't help but smile thinking about him acting like that.

"Big bad tennis star afraid of a little spider?" I asked.

He smirked and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm sorry that I woke you up," I said.

"It's okay. You're just lucky I don't have a game tomorrow Swan," he smirked.

"You played good today." It wasn't a total lie. I mean he'd won so he obviously played good compared to the other guy.

"Liar. I played like shit; I'm surprised I squeaked through. Thanks though."

"You seemed really…angry." I looked down at my cup as my finger danced around the rim. "Was it about last night?"

"Yeah. And I'm sorry about that, I don't…I had no reason to be upset Bella it's not like we're…" He shook his head and sighed.

"Did you want us to be?" I was being bolder about this than I'd planned to be and it scared me to death. "Listen, last night with Jake was a huge mistake. When he kissed me I didn't feel anything."

"And do you feel anything when I kiss you?" He started around the bar and stood in front of me.

"I feel everything," I whispered.

He nudged himself between my knees and ran his fingers lightly up and down my thighs, sighing as he dug his fingers into my skin. He licked his lips and lingered a moment before leaning forward and softly pressing his lips to mine. "Good because I really don't want to share you with anyone…" He mumbled against my lips. I had a feeling this revelation was a big thing for him to say. It wasn't his overly possessive side trying to be an asshole, he just wanted me for himself in the most genuine way possible.

"I don't want to share you either." I narrowed my eyes at him, knowing what that meant for him. Deep down in my heart I didn't believe that that version of him was the real him, I just wasn't sure if he knew it and that scared me.

"Point taken. I won't lie to you I've been a little cavalier with women, but its not as bad as the media makes it out to be okay?" He smiled and kissed me again before wrapping his arms around me.

"So are we really doing this? Like for real? Because I just…" I shook my head as he brushed his lips across my neck.

"Yes. We're doing this." He nodded.

I sighed and relaxed, melting into his body. For the first time since I'd woken up I didn't think about the storm or the fact that my father is a selfish asshole.

"Let's go to bed," he whispered.

I nodded against his chest as he scooped me up, wrapping my legs around his waist as he carried me to his bedroom. He laid us both down and pulled his blankets up over us as I snuggled into his chest. I fell right asleep, completely oblivious to the booming storm outside and feeling the safest I've ever felt in his arms.

I woke up the next morning to someone nuzzling my neck and I smiled before I even opened my eyes.

"Good morning…" I mumbled.

"Good morning." Edward kissed my forehead and pulled me closer. "Bella can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"This week…why? I mean why were you…" He trailed off, but I knew what he was talking about.

I opened my eyes and slowly sat up so I could turn and look at him.

"Um…" I shook my head and took one of his hands in mine. "The day after your birthday there was this…news report about you and me. Alice said something about you and distractions." I shrugged. "And then I talked to Rose about it and I guess I just got…defensive. I was trying to protect both of us from breaking."

"Why?"

"No offense, but you have a reputation Edward. And I think it's all a front, but that doesn't mean it's complete bullshit either. I didn't want to get hurt. And I didn't want to be the reason that you lose out on something that you want."

"Bella don't be ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous. I know how much you want Wimbledon. I don't want to mess that up for you."

"Listen to me." He sat up and took my face in his hands. "You are a distraction, but a good one. And I want you okay? I don't ever want you to feel like that again. Ever." He shook his head and ran his finger along my bottom lip. "I'm sorry that you felt that way."

I started playing with his fingers, feeling a little overwhelmed by everything that was happening. It was good, just a lot to take in.

"So where did he take you?" He smiled.

"Who?"

"Jake. Where did he take you last night?"

"Oh. He took me to the Eye."

"Bastard," he whispered. "Okay I guess I'll have to think of something better for tonight then."

"Tonight?"

"You did cancel our first date Bella, even though I'm starting to think you weren't even sick." He narrowed his eyes playfully. "So you owe me a date and I'm collecting on that tonight."

"But what about Alice? And you have a match tomorrow."

"We'll just have to sneak out. And it's not until later. It'll be fine." He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. Not only did I feel like Alice had eyes in the back of her head, but he was a major athlete in town for one of the biggest sports tournaments in the world. He didn't have the luxury of going out and being anonymous.

I glanced at the clock and nodded. "I should get going, I'm supposed to go shopping with Alice and Rose so I need to get ready."

"Good luck with that," he laughed. "Alice has a thing for clothes."

"Yeah I noticed." I got up and pulled my blanket off the floor. "I'll call you later." I bent down to kiss him before I started back towards my room.

I peeked my head out his door just to make sure there wasn't anyone out there before sneaking out. I made it about two steps before I heard a door open.

"Crap," I winced.

"Good morning Bella," Rosalie hummed. She smiled as she walked past me, a teasing look in her eye. That bitch knew and she was playing with me.

"Good morning Rosalie." I forced myself to smile as I hurried back to my room.

I took a quick shower and was brushing my teeth when Alice knocked on my door.

"Let's go!" She pulled me out and we met Rosalie down in the lobby. She smirked at me as we approached, but I tried to ignore her.

We grabbed some lunch at a restaurant down the road before we went shopping. Alice said that she needed to load up with energy or something like that.

"Okay I'm going to run to the bathroom," Alice said as she finished her last bite. "I don't allow pee breaks on my shopping sprees." She hopped up and started towards the bathroom, leaving Rose and her teasing eyes alone with me.

"So uh…did you hear all that thunder last night?" I asked.

"Yeah. Lots of action."

"Rose, we didn't not sleep together. Well not that way," I whispered.

"I don't believe it."

"You don't have to believe it. It's the truth."

"Bella you're telling me that Edward Cullen has gone the entire month that he's known you without screwing someone, and he still hasn't gotten in your pants?"

"Well that's not necessarily true, and it was actually a dress…" I shrugged. "We're really trying this Rose, like really really trying. And how do you know that he hasn't slept with anyone?"

"Please. Emmett knows pretty much everything about him, apparently aside from your relationship with him. He said that he came close the night of his birthday, but told the stripper he was tired or something like that. It's almost laughable." She took another sip of her drink. "Maybe I was wrong about him. I've never known Edward to turn down sex for someone."

I noticed Alice was starting towards us again. "Can we just keep this between ourselves? Alice still doesn't know."

"Sure."

"Okay girls let's go give some needy clothes a home!"

We spent the next five hours shopping until Alice's hands were full of bags and her little heart was content. I didn't really want to buy anything, but she practically forced me to get this shirt and I finally gave in, hoping I could wear it on my date with Edward tonight. Of course I didn't tell her that, but it was a good enough reason for me.

I was exhausted when we got back so I took a nap before we headed out to dinner. I smiled as Edward met us out in the hallway, looking delicious as ever. He wore a dark green, long sleeve shirt and dark jeans that fit him in all the right places.

"I'm fucking starving, let's go!" Emmett bellowed, leading everyone towards the elevator. I couldn't stop smiling as we all stepped on. Edward and I ended up in the back, my chest almost squished against his because the elevator was so full. He gently grazed his fingers over my hip and winked at me.

As soon as the elevator door opened, I cleared my throat and stepped out of his grip.

We were seated immediately down at the restaurant. Rosalie happened to sit down between Edward and I but quickly offered up her seat, saying that she wanted to sit next to Emmett anyway.

Dinner was actually really fun. It was almost like we were a real couple having dinner with our friends. Of course not everyone knew that Edward's hand was rested lightly on my leg, but otherwise we looked innocent enough.

"Edward you seem to be in a better mood. Did you find a friend last night to give you some happy time?" Alice teased.

"I guess you could say that," Edward laughed and squeezed my leg. My heart fluttered at his touch and I knew I had to be more careful about letting my reaction to him show so much, especially around certain people. If I let myself slip, it was bound to blow up in our faces eventually.

After dinner we retreated back to our rooms with Alice telling Edward that he needed to go to bed early tonight.

"Thanks Mom." He rolled his eyes and disappeared into his room.

I watched a movie with Alice and Rose before heading back to my room. Alice basically pushed us out of their room, claiming that they needed to get to sleep. I knew it was bullshit, but I didn't mind. It gave me a reason to head back.

I pulled out my phone and texted Edward.

**I think she's in for the night.**

Two minutes later there was a knock on my door. As soon as I opened it, Edward rushed in laughing. He grabbed me by my hips and pushed me against the back of the door.

"Hi," he said, pushing his lips roughly against mine. His tongue darted out to meet mine as he ground his hips into mine.

I would never get tired of kissing Edward, never immune to his perfection. The feeling starts in my lips and travels down my arms until I can feel it in the tips of fingers and pooling in my stomach. And every now and then, I could feel it pounding at the door of my heart. I can only pray that when he's ready to come inside, I'm willing to answer him.

"We should get going," he mumbled, finally pulling away.

"Kay," I nodded slowly, still buzzing. I bit down on my lip and grabbed my jacket before we snuck out.

He held my hand and pulled me out into the hallway. I felt like I was seventeen again sneaking out of my house with the boy who kept throwing rocks at my window. Okay that never actually happened to me, but I always wished it would. Maybe now's my chance to have that.

"Jasper!" Alice yelled, cracking her door halfway open. We both held our breath as Edward pulled me around the corner. We stood there, pressed up against each other trying not to breath. "What do you want from the vending machine? Jasper?" She closed the door again and we both burst out laughing as we ran for the stairs.

"Mr. Cullen," the concierge nodded as we ran past.

We took a cab across the river and got dropped off in front of a building that didn't even look open. I could barely see it in the darkness.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"You'll see." He brought me up to the door and we were greeted by an older woman.

"Hello Mr. Cullen. It's yours for the next couple hours if you wish." She smiled and stepped aside.

"Edward?" I asked as he pulled us through the darkness.

"Just wait." He smiled in the darkness. "Hit it Stella!" He yelled.

The area was suddenly lit by a soft glow of lights, exposing a stage in front of us.

"What is this?" I asked, spinning around. There was a large clear area in front of the stage before the intricate wooden seats started. They went up a few stories and were absolutely beautiful.

Edward let go of my hand and jumped up on the stage. "This…is the Globe Theater, where William Shakespeare put on his plays."

"Oh my God," I whispered, taking in the sight with new eyes. I wouldn't lie I never really had any idea what any of Shakespeare's characters were saying but I knew it was beautiful.

I started around the side of the stage and took the steps up to meet him.

"You know we're kind of breaking the rules here…" He murmured, pressing his forehead to mine.

"What? I thought you had permission to be in here."

"No not that," he laughed. "Back in Shakespeare's day women weren't allowed on the stage."

"Oh."

Edward wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me close as he started swaying to silent music.

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night," he whispered into my ear, grazing his lips across my skin.

I whimpered and pressed my body closer to him. "Say something else…"

He laughed and twirled me around. "One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun  
Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun."

I moaned again and gripped him tighter. This romantic stuff was almost better than the dirty talk.

"Thanks Romeo…" I placed my lips on his neck and rested my head on his chest.

"See that spot up there, where the seats are a little different?" He leaned down close to my ear and nodded.

"Yeah."

"That's where the Queen would sit whenever she came to see a play here. It was for all the royalty."

"What else do you know about this place?"

He pulled back and smiled, holding up a finger insisting that I stay put. He disappeared behind the stage and came back holding two stage swords in his hands. "I know you'll never beat me in this," he winked, challenging me.

"Oh really." I smirked as I took one of the swords from him started circling around him. "Bring it good sir."

He turned around and started playfully throwing his sword against mine. We darted across the stage and down the steps, our swords clanging together.

"You're not bad Swan," he teased.

"Not so bad yourself," I mused, spinning around and snapping my sword down on his. It knocked the sword and then his jaw to the ground.

"Please don't hurt me," he dropped to his knees and smiled.

"I'm much more partial to taking prisoners…" I smirked and let my sword rest on his shoulder as I approached.

"I think I 'd be okay with that."

I leaned down and smiled before pressing my lips against his. I let my sword fall to the ground as I crawled onto his lap, never breaking my lips away from his.

"You want to know a secret?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Your date kicked Jake's date's ass."

He gripped me harder and laughed. "Good. We should probably get going, I'm sure Stella wants to go home."

He pulled me up and we started towards the exit. "So how much did you have to pay to get in here this late?'

"Don't worry about it."

He hailed us another cab and we started back to the hotel. When we got back I snuck him back into my room and hoped that "Mom and Dad" didn't hear.

I had a feeling this was the start of something good. And if it wasn't I was still going to pretend that it was, because I didn't want to think about the alternative. This was a good thing. I deserve something good. Please be something good.

**A/N: So who's date did you like better: Jake's or Edward's? They were both pretty amazing.**

**Just also to clarify, Emancipation Proclamation is not on FF. It was taken down due to violation of TOS, so its now on her blog.**

**Also I've been looking at my schedule and I'm starting to realize that I'm going to have to update more often than I am even now. I will be leaving to go home the middle of August and once I get home I'm going to be extremely busy for awhile, moving back into my apartment, getting ready for classes, starting classes, working. I'd like to be almost if not finished with this story by then and it has over 30 chapters. I'll also be having visitors a few times in July so I don't know if I'll be able to update during that time but I'll keep you posted. Please don't think I'm rushing through writing or anything when I update quickly, I'm several chapters ahead in the story with my writing. I like to do that so I can get them edited and such before they're posted. **

**Last thing, if you have a specific EPOV outtake that you would really love, feel free to add it onto your review and I'll definitely take those into account when I create the poll. **


	11. Bad Day

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, retweets, alerts and favorites guys! And if you don't know who Darth Vader or Michael Clark Duncan is you might want to look them up, might be a little helpful.**

When I woke up the next morning Edward was gone. He left a note in his place, written on the hotel stationary.

_Wanted to get a quick run in before I head to the courts. I got an extra key for my room so you could have your own copy, it's in the kitchen. I'll see you later._

_ Edward_

I sighed and rolled over onto my back. I reached my arm over to where Edward had lain last night, wishing I could still feel his warmth but it was gone. I turned myself on my side and pulled his pillow to my side, clutching it tight. I smiled when I inhaled the faintest hint of him left behind. I knew I could find him somewhere.

After last night I could almost feel the two Edward's reconciling, starting to merge into one. He was a long way from being there but he was on his way and I prayed that he would make it. He shouldn't have to be one or the other; he should be able to be both. I want him to be both.

I laid in bed for another ten minutes before Jasper called, asking if I wanted to go out to breakfast before the match. I got up and took a quick shower before heading out to meet him, grabbing the extra key that Edward had left on the counter.

I knew I had to tell Jasper what was happening. I couldn't keep things like this from him; he's the first person I talk to about everything.

"So I need to talk to you about something…" I started.

"Okay. Shoot." He stuffed another bite of toast into his mouth.

"I would never want to put you in a position that would compromise your relationship with Alice and I hope you know that and I don't expect anything from you really. But Edward and I have decided to be…whatever we are."

"You mean you're unofficially official?"

"I guess so. I mean we aren't ready to have a press release for obvious reasons, but we're going to try dating I guess. Well I don't really know if you would call it that because this is a pretty fucked up situation, but we're not seeing other people…"

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I want Edward Jasper. I can't really explain it and I don't know if it's going to lead anywhere, but right now…he's what I want."

"Okay I just want you to be sure honey, I mean he doesn't really seem like the best boyfriend material but I'll support you. And I won't tell Alice until you're ready for her to know."

"Thanks Jazz."

He offered to pay and even though I adamantly refused he ultimately got his way. I ran up to my room to get my camera stuff before we left for the courts. Jasper went through one door to meet the rest of them and I descended down a long hallway. I showed the security guard my security pass as I brushed by but he grabbed onto my arm and pulled me back.

"Bella Swan?" He bellowed. His voice almost reminded me of Michael Clark Duncan mixed with a little Darth Vader. It was a little intimidating.

"Yes," I swallowed hard.

"This way please." He started pulling me down another hallway lined with green doors.

"Is something wrong? I was just here a couple of days ago, I'm a photographer for Edward Cullen," I rambled as he dragged me along.

He stopped in front of one of the doors and knocked.

"Come in," Edward called. Edward?

Michael Clark Vader opened the door to a smaller locker room. There were a few actual lockers, some benches and an exam table that was probably for the player's doctors if they needed it. A large steel tub sat beside it. There was a small refrigerator in the corner as well as some cabinetry that ran along the back of the room.

"Edward what am I doing here?" I said, as the door closed behind me.

He stood from his bench and smirked as he walked towards me. He reached down for my waist, but slipped past it and locked the door behind me.

"Put your camera down," he murmured. The look in his eye was so intense I thought I was going to burst into flames on the spot. His light emerald eyes had turned dark, so dark they almost looked black.

"Edward," I whispered, setting my camera on the ground.

As soon as I straightened back up he grasped onto my hips and spun me around, backing us up until my back hit the lockers with a bang.

His fingers grazed down the middle of my chest, effortlessly undoing each button on the way. I gasped as my shirt floated open, exposing my navy blue lace bra. He trailed along the top, fingering the lace and slightly pulling it away from my body.

I unconsciously arched my hips forward, trying desperately to find the friction that I wanted.

He looked up at me from underneath his long eyelashes, never breaking eye contact as he slid his hand below the fabric of my bra and palming my breast. I whimpered and struggled to keep my eyes from fluttering shut. His other hand reached around and ran over the curve of my ass, squeezing gently.

He quickly leaned down and swirled his tongue across my breast before moving up to my lips. I moaned as I felt his teeth grab hold of my bottom lip and bite hard. I reached my hands up, fisting his hair and pulling him closer as his tongue forced its way into my mouth.

I found the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, barely able to break his mouth away from mine. He slammed me up against the locker again, wedging himself between my knees. My breath hitched in my throat when I felt him through his light jersey shorts. I wrapped my legs up around his waist, pushing them forward to grind against him again.

He growled and leaned back slightly, just enough to undo the button and zipper on my pants. He shimmied them down as far as they would go, leaving me half exposed in my silk panties. He reached out and encompassed both of my wrists in one of his large hands, forcing them above my head.

He smirked as he slowly ground his hips into mine, brushing himself against my most sensitive parts. He continued the slow, deliberate route up and down as his eyes clenched tight. His breathing was shallow as he opened his eyes again an instant before resting his forehead against mine.

"Fuck," I whispered, taking in a staggering breath. I lifted my head up as he continued to molest me with his heavenly body. He used my exposed neck to his advantage, nipping and sucking at it as his hands roamed the rest of my body.

"Bella…" He purred. "See what you do to me?" He took one of my hands and guided it down along his body until they met his shorts. He hissed as our hands dipped below and brushed against him. He pushed himself roughly against mine one more time as I crashed over the edge, screaming out loud and raw. I shuddered as he continued our hands up and down his length.

"Mr. Cullen, you're expected on the court in about ten minutes!" Someone knocked on the door.

"Alright!" He growled.

I felt bad that I'd been able to get my release and he was still waiting. There was no way I could let him go out on the court like this. I think I'd be more embarrassed than he would be, but regardless I was determined to get him off in the next ten minutes.

I instantly dropped to my knees in front of him, his eyes growing wide as I reached for the waistband of his shorts.

"Bella you don't have to…" He shook his head.

"I want to." I pulled his shorts down, completely exposing him before taking him in my hand. I leaned forward and flicked my tongue out, running along his length before taking him completely in my mouth.

He grunted and leaned forward, bracing himself on the lockers above me as I worked. For the smallest moment I was afraid someone was going to hear us, but I became a little preoccupied relishing his taste.

"God you feel so good," he mumbled, slamming his fist against the locker.

He arched his hips towards me and I felt him hit the back of my throat.

I gently dragged my teeth against his skin as he pulled out and he instantly slumped over, finally finding his own release.

I released him, pulling his shorts back up and standing up while Edward tried to catch his breath.

"Thank you baby," he breathed, leaning forward to press his lips to mine.

"You're welcome." I kissed him again and started buttoning up my top. He disappeared around the corner for a minute and came back with his racquets and towel. As I turned around I laughed a little under my breath, seeing a distinct mark where Edward had punched the locker.

"Let's go." He nodded towards the door as I leaned down to pick up my camera stuff. Michael Clark Vader was still waiting outside and I knew he must have heard. I looked away as the heat rushed to my cheeks.

"You look adorable when you're embarrassed…" Edward brushed his hand along the small of my back and laughed.

The next door down the hallway opened as we passed it and a tall, young guy exited. I assumed from his attire that he must have been playing in the tournament. Edward's hand suddenly tensed on my back, balling up into a tight fist before he pulled away.

"Cullen," the man nodded and smirked. I got the feeling it wasn't a friendly greeting.

"Baxter."

The man turned towards me and smiled as his eyes roamed down my body. I instinctively crossed my arms in front of me, almost trying to hide myself.

"And you are?" He asked.

"None of your concern," Edward snapped, stepping between me and the guy.

"Oh is this your girlfriend?" He teased, cocking his head to the side. He was trying to peek around Edward but it was almost like Edward was attuned to him. Everytime he moved, Edward would move, effectively shielding me from his gaze. "Aw she's beautiful Cullen. Those big brown eyes and pouty lips. Mmm…" He crossed his arms in front of him and licked his lips. "You might have to let me borrow her sometime. Sounded like she sucks dick like a champion."

"You son of a bitch!" Edward launched himself forward, pinning the guy against the wall and pressing his forearm right against his throat.

"Edward! Stop!" I tried to pull him back, but he was too strong and I panicked.

"Vader!" I turned down the hallway, looking frantically for the security guard. His eyes widened when he saw what was going on and he sprinted down to where we were.

He pulled Edward off of the guy and stepped between them, blocking them front getting at one another.

"Baxter get out of here!" He bellowed.

"That good huh?" Baxter quipped, staring directly at Edward. He turned to me as he started walking out. "I'll see you later sweetheart."

"Get a hold of yourself Cullen," Vader said, finally releasing him.

Edward's shoulders were still heaving, his fists still clenched at his sides.

"Edward." I stepped around him and took his face in my hands. His eyes stared straight past me, almost in a daze. "Edward look at me." I shook his face a little. "Just relax." I started running my fingers through his hair and noticed his breathing start to slow. "Everything's okay," I whispered.

"That guy is a sick fuck Bella. I can't even think…about him touching you." He shook his head.

"Who is he?"

We started walking out of the hallway and towards the courts.

"James Baxter. My opponent for today's match." He laughed darkly and stopped just short of coming into view of the entire crowd. "Listen just stay away from him okay?"

"You don't have to tell me that twice," I sighed.

"Okay I'm going to get out there." He looked out at the courts and back at me, almost like he was debating on whether or not to kiss me.

"Not here," I said. "Good luck."

He smiled and started out towards the court, slinging his baseball cap over his head.

I waited a few minutes before I walked out onto the court. I quickly spotted the group and noticed Carlisle and Esme had joined them. I gave them a wave before I started unpacking my equipment.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Second Round Match of Wimbledon between U.S.A.'s Edward Cullen and U.S.A.'s James Baxter."

The crowd clapped as each of the players waved to the crowd.

I stood back along the line of photographers, saying hello to the few I recognized from the last match. Edward and James walked up to the net and I held my breath as James held out his hand to Edward. He took it and released it just as quick before walking back.

"Mr. Cullen shall serve first," the announcer said.

The ball boy next to me tossed Edward a few balls. He stuck one in his pocket and held the other in his hand as he stepped to the baseline. He bounced it one, two, three, four times before he threw it up and hit it. It flew across the court, barely catching the outside line of the box, and blasted past James before he could even blink.

Edward smirked as he turned around, briefly looking up at me while he walked back to the baseline.

As the game progressed, it became obvious that Edward was just the better player. James was sloppy and lazy, barely making the effort to run across the court. I had a feeling he liked being a celebrity more than an athlete because I was sure that no one would promote him solely based on his tennis ability.

Edward suffered a little in the third set, a victim of some bad calls. It knocked him off his groove, causing him to double fault twice in a row. When the line judge called Edward's fourth ball out, he rushed up to the net.

"Are you blind? That clearly hit the line!" Edward yelled.

"Mr. Cullen, please step back from the net," the chair referee warned.

"This is bullshit!" Edward spun around and pounded his fist on his racquet several times. I caught his eye on his way back and shook my head, telling him to keep it together. He blinked a few times, trying to compose himself, before nodding back to me.

The rest of the game was a complete massacre. As soon as Edward calmed down he slammed James in the next two sets, breaking his serve every time. He won the match in four sets.

James scowled as he left the court, cursing under his breath. Some of the crowd left, some stayed waiting for the next match on this court. I looked behind to where our group was sitting and noticed they'd left.

I packed up my things and headed towards the hallway with the green doors. I tapped my finger anxiously against my camera case as I leaned against the wall waiting for Edward. He was still out on the court doing some interviews.

I heard someone coming my way and narrowed my eyes at James as he passed.

"Bella is it?" He stopped in front of me. I turned my head away from him, trying to ignore him. "What are you doing tonight love?"

"Not you so you can run along."

"Who then? Edward? Give me a call when he tosses you to the curb. I'll show you a good time."

"So are you jealous of him because he has a bigger dick than you or because he just kicked your ass in front of millions of people around the world?"

He took a step towards me. "Be careful little girl."

"Baxter!" Vader yelled, coming to my rescue once more. "Move along, leave the girl alone."

James scowled and disappeared through the doors.

"Thank you," I mumbled.

Edward jogged around the corner, smiling from ear to ear. Thank God he hadn't been here a minute earlier, I don't even think burly man could have stopped him.

"Hey! I didn't know you were waiting for me. Sorry that took so long," Edward said.

"It's okay. I think got some great pictures today."

"Great! I'm going to go shower, I have a press conference in twenty. Alice should already be waiting in there, just follow the signs for the press conference room and I'll see you later okay?"

"Okay," I smiled as he turned away. "Good game superstar." I reached out and smacked his ass as he jogged away.

I followed the signs and found the press conference room fairly easily. Emmett and Jasper were standing along the wall so I went to join them while we waited for it to start.

Ten minutes later Alice, Rosalie and Edward stepped onto the stage and took their places.

"Mr. Cullen will only be making a statement and will not be answering any questions," Rosalie stated. The crowd started complaining until Edward cleared his throat and leaned forward to the microphone.

"I would like to express my gratitude for all the support thus far in the tournament. This is the farthest I've reached at Wimbledon and I'm ecstatic to see what I can do in the next round. Mr. Baxter played an excellent game and I wish him, as well as the other players, good luck in future endeavors. Thank you." Edward nodded and stood.

The three of them ignored all of the questions the reporters were screaming. They brushed past us and we followed them out the door.

Alice and Edward were going out to dinner to celebrate. I thought it was adorable that they had that close of a relationship, but it worried me a little to think about how it would be affected when all this comes out.

When I got back I took a shower and ordered in some room service. Jasper ended up stopping over and eating half of it before we headed back to his room to watch a movie. I had no idea how long Alice and Edward were going to be out, but I wish they'd just come back so I could see him.

"So where'd you disappear to before the match?" Jasper smiled.

"Nowhere," I shook my head.

"You slut," he teased.

"I am not!" I threw a pillow at him, hitting him square in the face.

He lunged towards me, grabbing me around the waist and throwing me down on the couch.

"Say it!" He yelled as he started tickling my sides.

"No!" I laughed.

I threw my leg up over his shoulder and flipped him, tossing his to the ground. I grabbed the pillow again and started wailing him with it.

I heard Alice and Edward walk in, but I was too busy to generate a proper greeting.

"I've got $5 on Swan," Edward said, laughing under his breath.

"Are you kidding me? He's got like 70 pounds on her." Alice sat down in the chair and watched as Jasper and I rolled around on the ground.

I hit Jasper one more time before grabbing his arms and pinning them above his head. He started fighting back then suddenly closed his eyes and started screaming.

"What?" I asked.

"Your boobs! I can see down your shirt! I'm blinded!"

"Say I win…" I leaned closer to him. "Say it!" I knew that my boobs freaked him out more than anything, considering he saw me as a sister.

"Fine you win! Now get them away from me!"

I smiled and jumped off him.

"Pay up!" Edward yelled towards Alice.

"She cheated," Alice said softly, walking away.

"And with that. I am going to bed. Have a good night." I eyed Edward as I walked out the door.

I was only in my room about five minutes before he knocked.

"You know," he said softly as I opened my door. "You can shove your boobs in my face anytime you want, I won't mind."

"I'll keep that in mind," I laughed, closing the door behind him. "What do you want to do?" I glanced at the clock. It was a little past nine. "Do you want to go out or something?"

"Actually I'm kind of exhausted, I just want to lay in bed with you…" He mumbled as he sat down on the edge of my bed. "I mean…if that's okay?"

"Yeah it's okay." I smiled and nodded.

He leaned forward and pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it on the chair beside the bed before backing up and resting against the headboard. I shimmied out of my jeans and into some sweatpants.

Edward pulled back the covers and hopped inside as he waited for me. I turned on the television as I crawled into bed, throwing my legs over him and straddling his waist.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"You said I could shove my boobs in your face whenever I wanted…" I smiled.

"I did say that." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. There was something so intimate about a hug like this; I could even feel his heart beating against my chest.

He sighed and held me tighter, resting his cheek on my shoulder. "I've never done this before…" He whispered.

"What?"

"Just…held someone."

I couldn't imagine going through life like that. I thought maybe even with that bitch Tanya there had been something more than just sex at some point. Now I knew that there never was.

"Coming up next, we've got your daily Wimbledon update. Stay tuned to see if your favorites made it through," a woman's voice blasted from the television.

I leaned forward and kissed Edward before sliding beside him and resting my head on his chest.

"Despite displaying some of this now to be expected confrontational behavior, superstar player Edward Cullen has advanced to the third round of Wimbledon, the first time he's done so in his career," the blonde woman on the screen smiled before they went to some footage.

I cringed when I saw my figure in the background as Edward started yelling at the ref. He spun around, stalking back towards the baseline. When he slowed his pace, I knew we'd had our moment. If you weren't looking for it, there's no way anyone else could have noticed.

"We need to come up with some kind of secret sign or something," Edward laughed.

"What do you have in mind?" I turned my face so I could look at him.

"I don't know, maybe I could scratch my nose or something."

"But what if you just genuinely have an itch?"

"Well I'd probably be thinking about you either way so it doesn't matter." He kissed my forehead and I lay back down.

"What time do you have to get up tomorrow?' I asked.

"I don't have a match or anything but I think Emmett wants to train hard tomorrow. You should come and watch me practice."

"Oh that sounds like fun," I said sarcastically.

"Come on. You can hang out with Alice and Rosalie and we'll practice our sign."

"Okay, if I must…" I sighed.

"Good. I'm happy you'll be there."

I kissed his chest and snuggled into his side as I started falling asleep. A few minutes later the television clicked off and I drifted into darkness.

The next morning I felt Edward slip out of bed and kiss my cheek before going back to his own room. I tried to go back to sleep, but it just didn't feel right without him there so I got up and started getting ready.

I texted Alice as I left the room, asking her where she was. She said she'd meet me outside the courts and we could go watch Edward's practice.

We passed Vader on our way in and I waved at him.

"Swan!" He raised his hand up for a high five and I happily obliged.

"Since when are you buddy-buddy with the security guards?" Alice asked as we started down to find some seats.

"He was nice. He helped me out yesterday." I didn't offer any more information on the situation.

I spotted Carlisle and Esme sitting down towards the front, pointing to Edward as he moved across the court. We sat down next to them and Alice immediately started chatting with Esme about some new store back in Seattle.

I found myself sitting beside Carlisle, who was fairly quiet as he stared down at the court.

"It's interesting," he finally said, turning towards me. "I've never seen Edward calm down as quickly as he did yesterday after that blown call." He smiled at me.

I swallowed hard and nodded.

Edward ran up to the net and slammed a pop up right into the back right corner.

"Nice hit son!" Carlisle yelled.

I studied Carlisle's features, his dark blonde hair, caramel eyes and defined jaw. He couldn't have been that much older than Edward. Well not old enough to actually be his father anyway. He seemed mature beyond his years, but his appearance definitely didn't show it.

"Carlisle I know you don't really know me, but I think it's really great what you did for Edward and Alice. You know…with their dad and all."

"Thank you Bella. It was just like second nature though. They were my family. I protect my family and they needed protecting. I truly think of them as my children and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm a doctor so I have a busy work schedule but I always take time for them. My family is my priority. Edward Senior's preference for his other priorities was my gain I guess." He smiled.

I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt and glanced out at Edward again. "He still loves his father…doesn't he?"

"Very much. I think more than he'd like to admit. Alice doesn't have a relationship with their father at all, doesn't even speak of him. But Edward…Edward has never given up on him and it kills me to think that he'll never see the fruits of that labor. He's definitely starting to realize that, but I just don't know if he'll ever quit." He shook his head. "I know he's a grown man but when I look at him I still see that little boy desperately waiting for his father to show up at his little league game. He's only been to two of his matches. In the five years that Edward has been professionally playing tennis, just two. I don't ever remember him at his high school games."

I tried to fight back the tears because I saw the same thing Carlisle saw. Everyone else thinks he's this tough guy, but he's really not. Last night was evidence of that.

"Well then he's lucky to have you." I smiled and patted his arm.

My smile faded when I heard someone scream in agony. I turned my head back to the court and saw Edward lying on the court, grasping at his ankle.

"Oh my God," I gasped. I jumped up and started running down the steps towards the court. The rest of them followed behind.

"Dammit!" Edward yelled.

Emmett knelt down next to him, looking like he was about to cry.

"What happened?" I leaned down, taking in the sheer pain on Edward's face.

"Let me see." Carlisle calmly bent down beside Edward and tried to pry his hands from his ankle. "Emmett what happened?"

"He was backing up to his a volley and he just…went down. I think he might have rolled it or something. Is it serious?"

"I don't know, I'll have to take a better look at it. Let's get him back to his locker room."

Emmett and Carlisle helped Edward up and to his locker room. Alice, Esme and I followed close behind absolutely silent.

Edward pulled himself on the exam table, bringing his leg up with him.

"Esme I need you to get me some ice please," Carlisle said as he stared untying Edward's shoe. I wanted nothing more than to go to him and comfort him, but all I could do was stand behind him and watch. Alice paced on the other side of the exam table as Emmett watched Carlisle do his work.

Carlisle let Edward's shoe fall to the floor and carefully rolled his sock off his foot.

"Edward did you hear anything crack or snap? Anything like that?" He lightly grabbed hold of Edward's ankle.

"No," Edward winced. I could see he was on the verge of tears, but refused to let them fall.

"Can you move it?"

Edward bounced his foot ever so lightly, grimacing in pain.

"Okay." He nodded and started gently pushing and prodding at Edward's ankle. Edward tensed as Carlisle started slowly moving his foot around, pushing it in different directions.

"Fuck!" Edward screamed. "Stop! Carlisle stop!"

I took another step forward and discreetly started running my knuckles softly up and down Edward's lower back.

"This needs an X-Ray," Carlisle said, his brow furrowing. "The good news is that I don't think it's broken." He stood up and sighed, staring at Edward for a long moment. "The bad news is that I can't advise you to continue in this tournament Edward."

"What?" Edward's head snapped up. "No…no I can do it. You saw I moved it just fine. I just need to rest. It'll be fine!" He screamed.

"Edward…I understand your feelings and I know I'm not your doctor, but you need to understand something. This injury is most likely not incredibly serious, most likely a sprain or something of that nature which is completely curable with rest and proper care. But Edward if you go out and play on this ankle and you have one…slip up it could be devastating."

Alice sighed in frustration and left the room, cursing under her breath.

"Carlisle you know how much this tournament means to me….you know, you…" Edward trailed off.

"I know. But son you can rest up, possibly play at the U.S. Open next month and come back to Wimbledon next year. Or you can play now and risk your entire career for it."

Esme returned with the ice, her eyes puffy and red.

"I'll go call the hospital and let them know we're on our way," Carlisle pulled out his phone and stepped outside. Esme kissed Edward's temple and followed quickly behind him.

"Edward…I'm…I'm so sorry," Emmett shook his head.

"It's not your fault," Edward mumbled.

Emmett started towards the door, saying something about calling Rosalie.

We didn't speak for a long time after he left. I finally stopped rubbing his back and stepped around to face him.

"I'm not dropping out," he said adamantly.

"Edward…" I started.

"Bella," he said cutting me off. "I'm not…dropping out."

"You can't keep playing. You can't. I won't let you."

"You won't let me?" He laughed darkly. "That's funny."

I cowered back, surprised by the harshness of his words.

Carlisle stepped back in and helped Edward off the table.

After two hours at the hospital, the X-rays confirmed Carlisle's diagnosis. It was a sprain. They told Edward to stay off it for the next couple of weeks and if he was feeling good enough he could play in the U.S. Open with a brace. Edward was silent as they spoke, barely acknowledging them.

Alice called Rosalie so they could draw up a press release about Edward's withdrawal from the tournament and we all started back to the hotel. I gave them a little bit of privacy as they got Edward settled in his room. Alice was going to try and find us some flights home in the next few days so he could recuperate at home.

I waited about an hour before I grabbed my key to Edward's room and started over. I paused briefly at Alice and Jasper's door, relieved to hear Alice's voice behind it. She didn't sound happy but at least she wasn't in Edward's room.

I slid my key through the lock and stepped inside, clicking the deadbolt behind me. The room was dark, except for the glow of the television shining through from the bedroom.

I made my way across the living room and entered the bedroom, but his bed was empty.

"I told you all I wanted to be alone!" Edward yelled from the bathroom. He turned his head and sighed when he saw it was me. I saw that his ankle was wrapped and there were crutches sitting beside his bed. He was leaned up against the sink, staring at himself in the mirror.

"Edward you should be using your crutches…" I whispered.

He didn't flinch.

"We have some breaking news from Wimbledon," the television announced. "We have just received an official memo that Edward Cullen has withdrawn from the tournament after an injury during practice today. Again Edward Cullen has withdrawn from the Wimbledon tournament. Stay tuned for more information as we get it."

Before I could say another word, Edward slammed his fist into the mirror in front of him, sending it crashing to the floor in a million pieces.

"Edward!" I rushed forward and grabbed his hand to stop him from hitting it again.

"What the hell are you doing here Bella? Can't you just let me be?" He snapped.

"No!" I yelled back. "I can't!" I sighed and shook my head. "Just…let me take care of you."

He didn't protest when I pulled him towards his room, treading carefully over the broken glass. I sat him down on the bed and got a towel for him to hold to his bleeding hand as I started back towards the bathroom. I grabbed some antiseptic, bandages, tweezers and a paper cup.

When I returned, he sat in the middle of the bed staring blankly at the television screen. I sat down in front of him and pulled his hand towards me so I could get all the small glass bits out of his cuts. They didn't look bad enough to need stitches, but they looked pretty painful.

I worked silently for ten minutes before he spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It's okay."

"No it's not. It's just…Bella I don't know how to do this." He nodded between us. "I'm just not used to someone wanting to be there for me okay and everytime someone's tried I've pushed them away. I don't know how to handle it."

I nodded and started wrapping his hand with a bandage.

"Listen I just need you to understand that I'm going to fuck up. I mean I don't want to, but I've never done this whole relationship thing because that thing with Tanya was nothing. I know I don't deserve it but I need you to be patient with me."

"Okay." I could understand that. It wasn't easy opening yourself up to the idea of someone wanting to take care of you when you've been let down so many times.

He rested his chin on his knees. "I was terrified I'd scared you off."

"Takes more than that to scare me Edward," I said sternly, finishing off his bandage. "Let me get you some more ice for your ankle."

I returned a few minutes later with a bag of ice and set it on his ankle. As I sat down beside him I noticed his cheeks were glistening, the result of newly cried tears.

"I'm sorry baby…" I leaned forward and wiped them away.

He sniffled and nodded, trying to hold in the downpour that needed to happen. I wanted him to cry. This was a big thing for him and it was taken away in an instant. He was allowed to cry. He finally couldn't hold it anymore and brokedown harder than anyone I've ever seen.

I knew I couldn't say anything to make it better so I just held him as he cried, running my fingers through his hair. I snuggled down into his bed beside him as he grasped onto my shirt, pulling me closer. His sobs eventually dulled and were eventually replaced by his deep breathing as he slept. I rested my head on top of his and fell asleep with him, praying that tomorrow would be a better day.

**A/N: Poor Edward. I know he can be an ass, but I feel so sad for him. : (**

**Some tennis terms:**

**-double fault: When you're serving, you basically get two tries to get it in bounds before you forfeit the point to your opponent. So when you miss both attempts its called a double-fault. Your opponent receives a point and you move on to the next play.**

**-breaking serve: Both players take turns serving, alternating between each game (the love-15-30-40 thing). Its generally expected that you should win on the games that you serve because you're technically on offense when you're serving so it's a really big thing to win when you aren't serving and something you pretty much have to do to win. When you win a game and you're not serving you "broke" their serve**

**-Also I don't remember if I've mentioned this before but Men's matches are the best of 5 sets, so once one person wins 3 the match is over. Women's are best of 3 sets.**

**And...drumroll...The EPOV outtake poll is on my profile since you guys are almost to that 750 mark. I'll keep the poll up for one week and get that posted as soon as I possibly can. I have 3 options for you but if there's another part you'd reaaaalllly really want just let me know and I'll put it on there.  
**


	12. Can't Fight This Feeling

Despite Alice's incessant bitching at the airline, they didn't have enough seats to get us all back at the same time. Since two of us were going to have to stay behind, Jasper and I volunteered. I still wanted to see a little more of London and didn't mind staying one more day.

I snuck over to Edward's room the morning they were leaving and helped him pack his stuff up. He kissed me one last time and told me he'd call me after I got back in the States. He told me not to call him, since he was already anticipating Alice watching him like a hawk to make sure he was taking care of himself. He didn't want her intercepting anything and getting suspicious.

During our extra day Jasper and I took a train out to Hampton Court, where Henry the 8th lived, and checked out Abbey Road. I was exhausted by seven so I went to sleep pretty early. We had to be at the airport at five in the morning for our flight.

I didn't necessarily expect Edward to call the first night we were back. I didn't even expect him to call the next day, but after seven days of not hearing a word from him I started getting a little pissed. I'm not one of those girlfriends, or whatever I am to him, that has to talk to her boyfriend everyday. I'm not a clingy whiner. But when you say you're going to call someone, you should call them especially in a situation like this.

Two days later, I was fuming. My mild annoyance had turned my insecurities about this relationship into a volcanic shitstorm of epic proportions.

"He was just using me Rose…" I said, whipping around my apartment. I heard her sigh through the phone as I violently pushed my bread down in the toaster.

"Bella…"

"No. No it's been…nine days since I've talked to him and he said that he was going to call."

"You do realize Alice forced Carlisle to put him in a cast…a fucking cast for a barely sprained ankle."

"Well it better be a full body cast because that's the only valid excuse he has for ignoring me this whole time." I jumped as the toast spouted up, slightly browned on each side.

"You didn't even sleep together, how the hell was he using you?" Rose decided to play along with me for a moment.

"That…" I said as I grabbed the butter, "Is beside the point. He's turned me into this raving lunatic crazy person all because he didn't call me. This isn't me. I'm not this person Rose. I make fun of people like this." I threw my knife down in my sink and sighed. "I don't know why I feel like this."

"Because you like him that's why."

"I want to put his balls in a blender right now, but you're right. I just…" I tried to fight back tears. "I don't know if I can do this, look at me I'm a mess."

There was a knock on my door as I took a bite of my toast.

"Rose I've gotta go, there's someone at my door."

I hung up and set my plate down before skipping over to the door. I whipped it open and realized I shouldn't have been surprised by who was standing behind it. He was starting to make a habit of this whole "showing up unannounced at my door" thing.

"Hey," Edward mumbled. I saw the cast Rosalie had mentioned peeking out from the bottom of his pants as he leaned against my doorframe.

"What are you doing here?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I just wanted to…" His brow furrowed in confusion. "Shit I fucked up again didn't I?"

"Good job genius." I started to close the door on him. "You didn't call." I slammed the door in his face and went back to eating my toast.

"Bella?" He knocked again.

I sat down on the couch and turned the television on. He knocked a few more times and then I assumed he left.

I was about to drift off to sleep when the music started blasting outside. It was so loud I could barely hear my television. I know my windows are thin but this was ridiculous.

I got up and strolled over to my window, wondering what all the commotion was for.

"What the hell?" I pressed my face closer to the glass as I stared down at him. Edward stood on the sidewalk in front of my building leaning up against the tree for support. He held up a laptop over his head, which was apparently the source of the noise. I really like REO Speedwagon, but this was a little too much.

A few people sped past him, giving him strange looks. He didn't notice. His eyes were glued to my window waiting for a reaction, any type of reaction.

"Hey buddy!" The guy in the apartment next to me stuck his head out of his window. "Turn off the music, you're bothering the whole building!"

Edward shook his head.

"Fine. I'll just call the cops!"

"Can you just give me a fucking minute man?" Edward yelled back. "It's important."

My neighbor huffed and slammed his window down.

"Edward stop! You're going to get arrested!" I opened my window and yelled at him.

"No!" He yelled back.

I closed my window and started making my way down to him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I said.

"Back when we first met, after you said you loved 80's movies…I went to the store and asked them to give me any and all of the important ones. Say Anything was my favorite…" He lowered the laptop and shrugged. "I didn't have an actual boom box I'm sorry."

I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. I've never had anyone do something like this, but I pushed myself to remember why I was mad at him.

"I don't understand…" I shook my head and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"Listen I already told you I'm going to fuck up and I'm sorry about that. I'm really sorry. And I never say the right thing, I know that. Even though I can't ever say shit right I wanted you to know how I felt. If this was the way I had to do it, then so be it."

"So you horribly embarrassed yourself in front of my entire building and all these people in the street? Is it really worth all the trouble?"

"That depends." He set the laptop down and hobbled towards me.

"On what?"

"On you. Are you still mad?"

I bit down on my bottom lip and tapped my foot at him, not wanting him to think that I'd totally forgiven him, which I had. I was going to act like I was pissed for a while just to make him suffer. "Come inside." I started to turn around but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him.

"I don't want you to be mad at me," he pleaded. He ran his fingers softly up and down the sides of my arms, sending a shiver down my spine.

"I'm…" I started forcefully, trailing off as he watched me. His eyes were soft today, I hadn't noticed it before. They were enough to melt away any dislike I had for him right now. I didn't appreciate them ruining my plan. _Damn those green eyes_. "I'm not mad," I finally conceded.

"Are you sure?" He held my face in his hands. "You're not mad? Not even a little?" He smiled, almost like he was teasing.

I couldn't help but smile when he looked at me like that.

"I'm not mad."

"Okay," he smirked. "Kiss me."

"Edward we're in a public place. I'm not going to kiss you." I nervously looked around, realizing we may have already blown it.

"Well I'm not going inside until you kiss me. And I've got plenty of other songs to play Bella…" He leaned down to pick up his laptop.

I panicked, fearing my neighbor wasn't joking about the cops. I'd been embarrassed enough for one day since I'm pretty sure everyone knew now that I was the reason for the music. I grabbed onto Edward's shirt and pulled his face to mine.

I felt him smile against my lips before he started kissing me back, weaving his fingers through my hair.

"I missed you," he whispered, pulling back slightly.

"I missed you too. Now get your shit and let's get inside." I kissed him again and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the building. I started for the stairs but he pulled me back and nodded towards the elevator.

"Since I'm temporarily crippled do you think we could take the elevator?"

"Yeah sure." We stepped inside and rode up to my floor, his thumb rubbing small circles over the back of my hand.

When we got back to my apartment, I started towards the couch.

"Bella…" He pulled me back to him. "I'm really sorry I didn't call you." He kissed my forehead. "If it makes you feel any better I was stuck with Alice all week, she even slept on my couch." He laughed under his breath.

"So where is she now?"

"Jasper finally got her to take a break so I snuck out. I needed to leave before Greta got there to help me bathe."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

"I can't get my cast wet, so I have to take baths, which I hate. Alice insisted on hiring a nurse to help me. It was humiliating. She's like…old."

"Well that makes me feel better," I mumbled. I guess if someone has to help him bathe I'd rather it be a grandma than a supermodel.

"Yeah laugh. I pretended I was asleep the last time she showed up just to avoid it. I probably smell like the Crypt Keeper."

"I could…" I swallowed hard. "I mean I could…you know help you. If you wanted to take a bath here I'd be okay with that." I nodded and looked up at him.

"Really?" He looked stunned.

"Yeah."

"That'd be really nice actually. I haven't been able to relax with Alice staying with me, she's driving me nuts."

"Okay. Just take a seat and I'll get it started." I nodded and started towards the bathroom, becoming incredibly nervous. I mean I've seen him naked already, kind of. I've seen Little Edward, who is consequently not so little, but its not like I should be this self conscious around him. I guess its because this is nothing sexual and it kind of hit me how vulnerable he was allowing himself to be around me. In a strange way it meant a lot.

I started his bathwater and got out some towels. I figured he wouldn't want to put his dirty clothes back on so I snuck into Jasper's room to grab some of his sweats. I didn't think he'd mind.

When I came back out in the living room Edward was staring at his phone.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah Alice just called. I didn't answer, she's probably freaking out."

"Oh. Did you want to go or something?"

"No. I mean do you want me to go?" He asked.

"No. That's not what I meant." I ran my fingers through my hair. "I just mean I don't want you getting in trouble."

He stood up and hobbled towards me. "Bella I'm already in trouble. I'd rather stay here with you as long as possible before I have to get grounded if you don't mind." He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Okay," I breathed. "Your bath is ready."

He smiled and we started towards the bathroom. I closed the door behind us, just in case Jasper decided to show up.

Edward started to pull his shirt off as I stood there wondering what I should do. I would be happy just to sit there and watch him strip but I didn't know if that's what I was supposed to do.

"Bella breathe," he laughed as he reached for his pants. "I'll need a little help getting these over my cast." He nodded down to his leg.

"Oh. Okay." I bent down in front of him as he pushed his pants down. They weren't as tight of ones as he usually wore, but they were still a bitch to get over that cast. I was glad I grabbed him some of Jasper's sweatpants. I had a feeling getting him dressed was going to be a lot easier.

His eyes flickered from the bathtub and down to his boxer-briefs.

"I can…leave them on if you'd be more comfortable," he said.

"No it's okay." I told my heart to stop pounding against my chest as he reached for the waistband and pulled them down to his ankles. They were a little easier to get over the cast, since they were stretchy material. I set them on the sink on top of his pile of clothes.

"Okay what do you need?" I asked as he started over towards the bathtub.

"I'll just need help lowering myself. I can pretty much handle it once I get my hands on the tub, but if you can just…spot me I guess."

He stepped his non-casted foot into the water and bent down, keeping his other foot resting along the top of the tub. I leaned down with him as he finally grabbed onto the sides of the tub. Once he had a good grip he settled himself into the water.

He laughed a little as he looked down into the water. "What the hell is this?'

"It's some of those bath fizzies you got me. They're supposed to help with relaxation."

"They smell good."

I smiled and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, reaching for a cloth. I dipped it in the water and squirted some soap on it before gently massaging his chest. His head lulled back and rested against the back of the tub as a low moan escaped his lips.

"That feels good," he whispered. He scooted himself lower for an instant, momentarily dipping his head beneath the water. He came back up and rubbed the water away from his eyes before resting his head back again.

I scrubbed down his chest and over his sculpted stomach before starting on his legs, making sure to be careful around his cast. He laughed a little as I brushed over his foot, a consequence of being ticklish.

"Sit up," I said, reaching the cloth back into the water. "I need to get your back."

He sat forward and I reached behind him, rubbing the cloth over his back. He had several freckles splattered over his back, but that wasn't what held my attention. I couldn't get over how the streams over water cascaded over his muscles. It made them look even more defined than they were and I wondered if this man could get any sexier than he already was.

I licked my lips and leaned down, gently brushing them over his shoulder. He turned his face towards mine, first looking down at his shoulder and then back up at me. He leaned forward and lingered a moment before pressing his lips to mine. His tongue darted out and swept along my bottom lip, asking for permission to come inside. I opened my mouth and sighed as he reached around to caress my cheek.

He laughed under his breath and broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to mine. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome."

He quickly washed his hair as I got the towels ready for him. I stood at the foot of the bathtub and helped him up. As soon as he stepped out I handed him a towel and he wrapped it around his waist. He dried himself off and I handed him the sweats. They were a lot easier to put on, just like I predicted. Once he was ready I unplugged the tub and hung up the towels as we headed out.

As soon as we took one step in the hallway the front door of the apartment swung open.

"I don't know Alice," Jasper said a little too loudly. "Did you try calling Edward again?" He must have assumed Edward had come here. He was warning us. I gasped and pushed Edward into my room, quickly closing the door behind us.

"No. He texted me and said to fuck off," Alice's voice chimed through the apartment. I was really hoping she didn't try to call Edward again because I was fairly sure that his cell phone was sitting out on the coffee table. I didn't think it was that unique that she'd recognize it, until it started ringing that is. Edward's laptop also sat on the counter, but that could have easily been mine. There shouldn't really be anything out there that would lead her to suspect he was here.

I held my breath and pressed the lock down on my door before turning back to Edward. He smirked and leaned down, pressing his lips roughly against mine.

"Edward no," I whispered. "Your sister is on the other side of this door and if she finds us she will murder us and bury our bodies without another thought."

"I'll protect you," he murmured, forcing his lips back to mine. That did it. There was something irresistible about a guy wanting to protect me, almost like just for a moment I was back in the medieval times and Edward was a knight wanting to protect me from the evil Alice dragon.

He started backing us up until I felt my knees hit the edge of the bed. I let myself fall, pulling Edward along with me. We scooted up the bed and he pulled the covers over our heads.

"Bella?" Alice knocked on my door.

Edward laughed under his breath and started kissing my neck.

"Alice go away! I'm sleeping!"

"No you aren't just told me to go away. You're obviously not sleeping." She tried my door and I silently thanked whoever invented locks. "Bella are you having some you time?" She knocked again. "Jasper told me about your little underwear drawer friend!"

_Oh God. _I closed my eyes as the embarrassment washed over me. It was actually more like a tidal wave but I was a little too flustered to worry about details.

I slowly opened my eyes back up and saw Edward staring at me.

"Jasper I'm going to kill you!" I screamed.

Edward smirked and started to get up. I had a feeling he was heading right for my chest of drawers and there was no way that was happening right now. I pulled him back down and threatened to hurt his other foot if he took one more step.

"You're going to show me sometime, just so you know," he mumbled, returning his lips to my neck. He swirled his tongue across my skin and I whimpered a little. I slapped my hand over my mouth to try and hold it in as he dragged his teeth along my neck.

"Bella?" Alice knocked again, sounding a little confused. "Do you have a guy in there?" She squealed. "Jasper I think she has a guy in there!" I could almost hear her jumping up and down on the other side of the door.

I moaned as he shifted his hips against mine, putting friction on all the right places.

"Stop!" I whispered, trying to bat him away. "You. Need to stop. Right now."

"Honey leave her alone, come watch T.V. with me or something…" Jasper yelled. I heard her skip away from my door and I sighed a little breath of relief.

"That was very…very bad of you," I scolded him.

"I know but it was pretty funny," he mumbled, laying himself down beside me. He started looking around my room, taking everything in. He finally turned to my bedside table and saw picked up the picture frame.

"Who's that?" He pointed to the woman in the picture.

"Oh. That's my mom and me when I was a baby."

"Why is the picture ripped?"

"Because my dad used to be in it."

He nodded and set the frame back on the table.

"Do you ever talk to him?" He asked.

I nestled into my pillow and shook my head. "No. He's tried to call me a few times but I never answer. I have nothing to say to him."

"Do you miss him?" He turned over on his side and rested his arm over my stomach.

"I never really knew him." I shrugged. "I guess I can't miss him."

"Yes you can. You're allowed to miss having a father."

"Do you?" I said, a little harsher than I meant. This whole conversation had me a little tense and I didn't mean to take it out on him. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair. "Sorry," I mumbled.

He sat up beside me and kissed my shoulder. "It's okay. I'm sorry I asked." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. "Do you want to sign my cast?"

"Can I?" I smiled ecstatically.

"Of course. Do you have a marker?"

"Uh…yeah. Let me get one from my desk." I jumped up and skipped across the room, grabbing a marker and returning to bed.

I sat at the end and pushed the blanket up over his foot, taking it into my lap. I noticed everyone else had signed it, even Jasper.

"There's a penis on your cast," I said, laughing at Emmett's drawing.

"Yeah I know. Emmett's an ass."

Rosalie drew a little heart around her name. Jasper simply just signed his name. Alice wrote a novel and Carlisle and Esme each drew a little animal next to their names.

"What should I write?"

"I don't know. Something good."

"Thanks for the input," I laughed. I thought for a moment before I started writing.

When I was finished Edward leaned up and pulled his foot to him, reading what I wrote.

"Be not afraid of greatness_: __some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them." He shook his head and smirked. "Wow Bella that's really great."_

"It's Shakespeare," I shrugged. It was the one quote that always stuck in my head and one that I actually understood. I threw the marker on my nightstand and snuggled back into his chest.

"So have you ever heard of the movie…Face Punch?" He almost winced as he said it.

"Sounds a little familiar."

"Well I kind of did a cameo in it."

"Shut up, you did not!" I shot up and laughed.

"I did. Alice made me do it and I hated it. I also get face punched which really sucked for my stunt double."

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked.

"Because I have to do a ton of promo for it, even though I'm only in it for like fifteen minutes. The first thing is next week and I want you to come. Alice and Rosalie are going and I'm sure they're going to invite you anyway. But I just want you to know that I want you to come. It will make it a little more bearable."

"I'd love to."

"Okay good. And you're also coming to the premiere with me."

"We can't…" I shook my head. "We can't just…walk down the red carpet together like a regular couple Edward."

"Well then I won't do the red carpet. If I can't have you on my arm I don't want to do it."

"Alice will not let you skip a red carpet."

"Fine then. I'll do the red carpet by myself and they can slip you through the side door of the theater. Alice isn't going with me for once. It'll be fine."

"What if someone sees us?"

"It's not like Alice wouldn't expect me to pick up a girl at some point. She won't know it was you."

I winced at his words. "Right."

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it." He rubbed my shoulder.

"I know, it's just…"

"I'm not that person anymore Bella. I promise."

"Pinky swear?" I turned around to face him. He smiled and held out his pinky.

"Pinky swear."

I entwined my pinky with his and shook.

"Okay let's go to bed." He pulled the covers back over us and we drifted off to sleep.

**A/N: The REO Speedwagon song Edward played for her was "Can't Fight This Feeling." This whole "Edward's fuck up playlist" is going to be a recurring thing throughout the story so I'll have the playlist on the blog and add the songs as they come. **

**Also if you haven't seen Say Anything, there's a scene where the main guy shows up to the girl's place with a huge boombox and basically plays a song for her. Very cute. It's probably on youtube.**

**This marathon of updating is going to cease for a little bit because I have my dad coming to visit me from Wednesday to Saturday so I probably won't be updating until this weekend. I'm excited to see a familiar face, I haven't had any visitors the whole time I've been here. **

**Thanks again guys!**


	13. Don't Worry Baby

"Are you all packed?" Edward asked I as threw my last pair of jeans into my bag.

"Yep. Just have to grab my toothbrush and I'm all set." I started towards the bathroom and looked myself over in the mirror. We were all starting down to California today so Edward could do his promotional stuff for that God-awful movie. I'm pretty sure he was getting mad at me for teasing him all the time, but after you're in a movie called Face Punch people are allowed to tease you for at least the next two years of your life. It's warranted.

"Okay, we're just leaving right now. We should be at your place in twenty minutes. Do you need help carrying your stuff?"

"No, I've got it Macho Man." I teased.

"Okay I'll call you when we get there." He said bye and hung up.

I grabbed my toothbrush and threw it in its case before setting it inside my bag. I zipped it up and threw it by the door as I waited.

I started flipping idly through the channels and wondered why it was so damn hot in here. I was practically sweating through my shirt. I pulled my hair above my head and jumped up to open a window. As soon as I stood up, my vision blurred a little and I had to grab at the couch for support. I figured I'd just stood up too soon and started towards the window, feeling a little light headed.

My fingers brushed lightly over the windowpane and I suddenly broke out into a cool sweat. I closed my eyes and swallowed, telling myself to calm down. I had no idea what was going on. I was probably just nervous about everything.

A moment later I felt my stomach gurgle and I sprinted to the bathroom. I barely made it before I started heaving into the toilet. I rested my head against the seat and waited for the nausea to disappear.

I started to get up and get a cup of water, but as soon as the glass hit my lips I was running for the bathroom again.

I don't know how long I sat in there making my sacrifices to the Porcelain God, but I eventually heard my phone ringing from out in the living room. It rang a few more times, but I couldn't move. Something was seriously wrong with me.

A few minutes later I heard the front door open and close.

"Bella?" Jasper yelled.

I blushed in embarrassment when I heard him walk into the bathroom.

"Edward she's in here!" Jasper yelled behind him.

Edward was suddenly beside me, pushing my hair over my shoulder.

"Baby what's wrong?" He whispered, rubbing my back as I puked some more.

"I don't know," I stuttered. "I was fine and then all the sudden I didn't feel very good and now…this." I held back the vomit.

"Okay." He turned back to Jasper. "Call Alice and tell her we'll be a few minutes." He grabbed a hair tie and pulled my hair back into a low ponytail. "Did you eat something bad?"

"I don't know." I crossed my elbows over the toilet seat and rested my forehead on it. I felt like shit.

"Did you eat anything today?" He asked.

"I had a frozen dinner like an hour ago," I whispered.

"I told you to stop eating that shit." He started rubbing my back again.

"How is she?" Jasper asked, reappearing in the doorway.

"Not good, I don't think she should come." he said as I spit into the toilet. "Maybe I shouldn't go."

"Edward don't be ridiculous. You have to go. It's your movie," I mumbled.

"I don't want to leave you here alone…" He whispered.

"You wouldn't be leaving me here alone. I have that whole pharmacy under my sink from you from when I was pretending to be sick." I tried to laugh.

"Jasper get a garbage can and some bottles of water." Edward kissed the top of my head. "Do you think you're okay to move to your bed?"

"I'm scared I'm going to puke again if I move."

"Well I'm not leaving you here on the bathroom floor. Can I pick you up?"

I shrugged my shoulders as he scooped me up into his arms. _Please don't let me puke on him. _

He carried me to my bedroom and laid me down on my bed. Jasper came in and set the garbage can next to my bed and the water bottles on my nightstand. Edward ran to the bathroom and got me all types of medicine.

"Are you hot or cold?" He asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know. I'm sweaty but I'm cold." I wrapped my arms around myself.

"You probably have a fever baby…" He pressed his hand to my forehead. "Here take these…" He handed me some pills and a water bottle. "Hey Jazz?"

"Yeah?" Jasper yelled.

"Would you mind giving us a few minutes? Go keep Alice busy in the car so she doesn't come up here."

"Sure."

I heard the front door slam.

"Bella I don't want to leave you like this…" He scooted up on the bed beside me and pulled me close.

"You have to go." I nestled into his chest and closed my eyes, wishing that the world would stop spinning.

"Jane can do the press I don't need to," he mumbled.

"Wait you did a movie with Jane Volturi? The Jane Volturi?" I vaguely remembered seeing the preview for this movie and now I finally remembered the blonde bombshell's face plastered across the screen. From what I hear she's got quite the reputation of sleeping with her costars.

"I'm only in it for a little bit."

"Did you have any scenes with her?" I asked.

He shifted uncomfortably beside me.

"Edward?" I asked again.

"Yes."

I had a feeling there was more to the story.

"Did you two…?" I let my voice trail off.

"Once," he admitted.

I suddenly didn't want him to go. I mean I know that he had to; I didn't want him to bow out of his responsibilities because of me. But if that bitch tries to stick her tongue down his throat it will be my responsibility to kick her trashy ass.

"Bella I'm not…" He shook his head. He wasn't like that anymore. I know that. It just doesn't make me feel very comfortable that he's spending time with someone who's legs are open like a 24 hour diner. "Please don't worry okay?" He hugged me tight. "Are you sure you want me to go?"

"Yes," I said. "You need to go."

He started to get up, looking between me and the door almost like he was contemplating.

"Edward," I said. "Go. I'll be fine."

He leaned down to kiss me, but I pulled away.

"I don't want you to get sick," I whispered.

"I don't care." He knelt down and gently held my face as he pressed his lips to mine.

"I feel like this is bad karma for me pretending to be sick on you. Like Mother Nature's just rubbing it in my face. She's such a bitch."

He laughed a little and kissed me again. "Keep your phone by you okay?"

"Yes sir."

He smiled at me one last time before leaving.

I snuggled into my bed and fell asleep for a while. When I woke up I had a few texts from Edward asking how I was, each one more panicked than the last one. I sent him one back telling him I was fine and that I was sleeping when he texted me before. I could tell he wanted to call me, but he obviously couldn't with Alice in the car. I had a feeling he was probably acting a little more involved than he should have been anyway.

**Are you sure you're okay?** He texted me back again.

Well no I'm not okay. I feel like I've been trampled by cement elephants, but I didn't want him worrying about me.

I bit down on my lip and unfortunately let my mind wander to what he would be doing tonight. I felt horrible for not trusting him with Jane. It almost killed me. I know how hard it is to suddenly change who you are and he hasn't complained at all. I couldn't believe I was trying to rationalize him being a man-whore, but in a weird way I understood. He'd been doing so well and I knew it wasn't easy for him, no matter how much he liked me. It's hard to quit things cold turkey, I know. Two years ago I got this strange addiction to Starbuck's Frappes. I know its different but the addiction is still the same. I had three a day binge and eventually Jasper had to step in. Not only was I gaining weight and spending all my money, but I was a fucking live wire the whole day. I couldn't help it they were just so good. I relapsed after eight days off the Frappe. I guess I was just expecting Edward to the same thing and it made me feel guilty.

**Turn on 98.1 **He texted me again. I had no idea why he wanted me to listen to the radio, but I did what he said and waited. They played a couple of songs before the DJ came on and started talking.

"We've been taking your requests via text all day and next up we have a request from someone who obviously wants to remain anonymous." She laughed. "This next one is for Picture Perfect from her Nosescratcher. It's "Don't Worry Baby" from the Beach Boys on 98.1 WKTZ!"

Her voice faded out as the music faded in and I couldn't help but smile. It was from my Nosescratcher.

I grabbed my phone and texted him back.

**You are adorable. Thank you.**

I could almost feel him smiling when he sent his reply. **You're welcome. I miss you.**

It had only been a few hours since they left and I missed him too. It wasn't like we got to spend as much time together as normal couples did, but the idea of him being so far away made my heart ache.

I was just about to drift to sleep again when I heard a commotion out in the living room. I knew Jasper was with them so it couldn't have been him. I clutched my blanket around me as I looked around the room for some kind of weapon. I guess if it was necessary I could just puke on them.

"Hello?" I called out tentatively. I wasn't sure why anyone ever did that. If someone really was breaking into your house did you think that they would respond? It's not like they'd say, "Yeah I'm just stealing your shit, I'll be out in a minute."

"Miss Swan?" A voice I didn't recognize called out. It sound very vaguely familiar, but I had no idea how it was and why they were in my apartment.

"Uh…yeah?"

"Don't worry. Miss Cullen sent me." There was a movement right outside my door and while I was slightly relieved that it wasn't some crazy person I still had no idea what they were doing in my apartment.

"Okay?"

My bedroom door creaked open and a woman popped her head inside. I recognized her now. She was Alice's secretary.

"Hi," she said, stepping into the room. "Miss Cullen wanted me to come and check on you. I apologize for scaring you, but they gave me a key and told me to just come in. I hope that's okay."

I waved in content, just happy that she wasn't a burglar.

"I brought you some soup and some different medicine from Dr. Cullen." She disappeared into the hallway and returned with a small bowl.

"What's your name?" I asked as she set the bowl of soup in front of me.

"Angela. I'm Angela."

"Well Angela this is all completely unnecessary but thank you."

"You're welcome. If you'd like I can clean or start some laundry…" She nodded out in the hallway.

"No, no. Please that's not…" I shook my head. "How long are you obligated to stay here?" I laughed as I took a sip of the soup.

She winced.

"She told you stay with me until they get back didn't she?" I asked.

"I'm sorry."

"She better be paying you well to spend all this time with me. I'm pretty boring and on another note I'm having problems keeping food down. So fun couple of days for you."

"I don't mind."

Angela was incredibly nice. Probably one of the nicest people I've ever met. I kept thinking about how good of a nurse she would be. She never complained and was always asking me if I needed anything.

It was close to ten at night when she peeked her head in again. "I guess I'm going to go to bed. Just let me know if you need anything, I'll just be out on the couch." She started to close the door.

"Go home Ang," I said. I wasn't making this girl sleep on my couch.

"But Miss Cullen said…"

"Miss Cullen doesn't have to know. You can come back in the morning if it will make you feel better."

"Are you sure you're okay Miss Swan?"

"Yes I'm fine. And you can call me Bella."

"Okay." She smiled and nodded. "Thanks Bella, I'll be back in the morning."

I slept so good that night it was amazing. It's weird but I always sleep the best when I'm sick because it's all I want to do. My mind isn't racing with what I have to get done the next day so its one of the only times I can just relax. I slept until almost five o'clock the next day and when I woke up Angela was there with some more of her soup. It really was delicious and I was thankful for it. It was the only thing I'd managed to keep down.

I finally migrated onto the couch so Angela and I could watch Entertainment Tonight. Apparently they've been advertising and interview with Edward all day.

I squealed inside when it started and they showed a short preview. He looked amazing.

They of course saved his interview for the end of the show.

He smiled and shook the interviewer's hand as he sat down in his chair.

"Hi Edward, how are you?" She asked.

"Doing well. And yourself?"

"Very well. Now let's talk about this movie. I just saw it and it was great."

I could tell Edward was trying not to laugh, but he nodded and said he thought so too.

"So you had to drop out of Wimbledon for an injury. Are there any updates you have for your fans on this?"

Edward's smile fell slightly before he restored it. I knew it was hard for him to talk about this.

"Yeah I unfortunately had an ankle injury during practice one day that prevented me from playing. I technically could have played but I didn't want to jeopardize my future, I want to be around for awhile."

"And I know all your fans want you around for a while. How's the ankle now?"

"Good. I got my cast off two days ago and I'll start doing some light training next week before I gear up for the U.S. Open in August."

"Great to hear. We've got a few Twitter questions from your fans now." She laughed and started reading off a piece of paper. "ServeMeEdward wants to know if you're single?"

"Ah…" He smiled and scratched his nose. I pretended it was for me, whether it was or not. "No comment." He laughed.

"EdwardsGoddess is wondering who that stunning young lady was at your birthday celebration? She's a new addition to your group of friends yeah?"

I had a feeling the sequence of these questions was planned. They were trying to get information on our relationship and it was completely transparent.

"That…" Edward smiled. "Is my friend Bella." He scratched his nose again. "She's doing a photo feature on me for Sports Illustrated and we've become good friends in the process. She's actually at home sick right now." He turned to the camera and waved. "I hope you're feeling better Bella."

"Yes feel better Bella," the interviewer cooed. She turned back to Edward. "Edward," she held out her hand. "Always a pleasure."

He nodded and mumbled thanks.

"And everyone go see Face Punch, coming out next week. We'll be right back."

After Entertainment Tonight ended there was another show on that had an interview with Edward and Jane together. I debated not watching it, but I didn't want to be too obvious to Angela. And plus I did kind of want to see it.

As soon as Jane's skanky ass sat down in front of the camera I scowled. Edward sat down next to her and smiled. They talked about the movie for a little bit before turning to their personal lives, just like interviews always did. What happened to it just being about the work people?

"So there were some rumors that you two were an item during filming?" The interviewer nodded to Edward and Jane. "Any truth to that?"

Jane smiled and reached over, grabbing hold of Edward's knee. My fists clenched at my sides. He didn't look comfortable, but I knew he couldn't flip out on her on camera.

"I think Edward and I prefer to keep our private lives private," she purred, making gooey eyes at Edward.

That stupid whore just made everyone think they're diddling each other. In all fairness they did once, but he was not doing that anymore. There was no diddling happening. None.

I turned the television off and stalked back to my room. As soon as I shut the door my phone rang.

"Edward?" I answered.

"Hey." He sounded sad.

"Where are you?"

"In my room. I finally got some time alone so I wanted to call you."

"What's wrong?"

He laughed darkly. "You're the one that's sick and you're asking me what's wrong?"

"Edward I'm fine. I haven't thrown up in three whole hours."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"About what?"

"The interview. I know how horrible it looked and I'm sorry I couldn't say anything." His voice cracked at the end like he was on the brink of tears.

"Hey it's okay…"

"No it's not." I could almost imagine him running his fingers through his hair as he paced the room. "You deserve better than that Bella."

"You're good enough Edward."

"No I'm not."

"Yes. Yes you are. And even if you weren't, you're what I want."

"How can you want someone like me?" He sniffled. "I want you…so much, but it's not fair. I don't deserve someone like you."

"Edward what is bringing all this on?" I started tearing up just listening to him. He sounded so lost, which was a sharp contrast to the cool, calm and collected man I saw in the interviews.

"I just…I don't know why you want to be with me or why you trust me but, thank you for doing it. I know it's not easy…I know I don't make it easy."

"I trust you. I'll trust you until you give me a reason not to okay?"

There was a long pause before he spoke. "I'm sorry I got all…emo. I don't know what happened. I just wish you were here. You make me all discombobulated. It feels weird, in a good way." He laughed a little. "I sound like an idiot."

"No you don't. And just so you know…you make me feel all discombobulated too."

He laughed again.

"So are you really feeling better?"

"Yeah thanks to Alice's live in nurse, I'm stocked up on meds and soup."

"Sorry about that. I told her you'd be pissed."

"I'm not pissed. I was a little freaked out at first, but Angela's really nice."

"Good."

"So what is your day like tomorrow?" I rolled over and pulled my pillow close. It was the one Edward had been sleeping on when he stays here and I could almost smell him on it.

"Pretty busy," he yawned. "We got pretty much a whole day of interviews and then there's a cast party or something tomorrow, which I really don't want to go to. Alice got tickets for everyone though, so they're all excited."

"Okay well I'll let you go then. I'm going to go to sleep. Hopefully I'll feel a little bit better tomorrow. I'm starting to think it was just food poisoning…" He started to say something, but I cut him off. "Don't hate on my frozen dinners."

"Fine. I'll talk to you soon. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I hung up and set my phone down on the nightstand.

The next day went pretty much the same. I didn't sleep quite as late and I didn't puke quite as much so I figured I was on the mend. I even snuck upstairs and developed a few pictures. I was way behind with all the ones I took in London and needed to get caught up. Angela made a really nice dinner for us and we decided to watch a movie, since there wasn't much on TV tonight and Edward's interviews were mostly for the Internet.

"So Angela do you have a boyfriend?" I asked.

"Actually we're engaged." She held up her left hand and smiled.

"Oh wow. That's beautiful." I can't believe I hadn't noticed that before. "What's his name?"

"His name is Ben and he's a teacher."

"Congratulations, he sounds great." I nodded and turned back to the magazine I was looking at. I only picked it up because it had a picture of Edward on the cover but he only ended up being on one page.

"Do you have a boyfriend Bella?"

"Uh…" I didn't really know how to answer that. I guess I could go the Edward route and say "no comment" but it wasn't like she was the media. "Kind of. I guess. We're trying to keep it on the down low right now cause it's new."

"Gotcha. I'm sure he's great."

"He is."

After the movie was over Angela got her stuff together so she could leave. I thanked her and told her that she didn't have to come back tomorrow. I think I was finally over the worst and I felt bad making her sit here with me all day.

I brushed my teeth and curled up in bed, pulling Edward's pillow close to me again. I woke up in the middle of the night, thinking I was dreaming. I was sure I felt his arms around me, holding me close to his body.

I opened my eyes and blinked a few times, waiting for the sensation to go away. It wasn't a dream. There was someone in my bed with me.

I jumped up and screamed, scrambling to get out of the bed.

"Bella wait! It's me!" Edward said.

"Fuck!" I yelled. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I grasped at my chest and waited for my breathing to return to normal. "I thought you were a creeper."

"I'm sorry. I'm not a creeper I promise." He threw his hands up defensively and smirked.

I finally crawled back onto the bed and gave him a hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a cast party tonight?"

"I do. I did. I couldn't be away from you anymore." He shook his head and nuzzled his nose against mine. "So I took my private jet up here and I'll fly back tomorrow morning before Alice even knows I'm gone."

I pulled back, a little stunned. "You did not fly a private jet here," I laughed, knowing he was fucking with me. He didn't seem to think it was as funny as I did. "You really did didn't you?"

"Yes." He pulled me close and kissed me. "I think I may be thoroughly addicted to you Miss Swan."

"That's what a creeper would say…." I mumbled as I kissed him again. "But I'm okay with it."

He laid me down on the bed, never breaking his lips away from mine.

"How did you get in here?" I whispered.

"Jasper gave me his key." He ducked down and started kissing my neck. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I need you when I go to the premiere next week."

"Are you sure I should go?"

"Yes. No more arguing about it. Just be thankful that Alice doesn't know or she'd be trying to wrangle you into shopping."

"But I don't have anything to wear."

"I'll have Rosalie take care of it."

"Rosalie?"

"I know she knows sweetie." He brushed my hair away from my face. "In fact she had a talk with me about it. Said if I hurt you she'd leak a story that I have herpes."

I nestled down into his chest and sighed.

"You're tired," he said. "Go back to sleep. I probably won't be here when you wake up but I'll call you. I should be back in two days." He glanced at the clock. "Or I guess technically tomorrow."

He was gone when I woke up, just like he said he would be. And all I could do was wait for him to come back to me.

**A/N: Thanks for reading guys! I love forward to reading your reviews : )**

**Last update before my mini-break. Thought I'd squeeze one more in so you could get your Tennisward fix. **

**Congrats on reaching your 750 mark! Remember to vote in the poll so you get the EPOV outtake that you want. The poll will be up until July 11th. And I've also decided since the race is so tight right now I'll make this 750 mark thing a reoccurring theme, so when/if we hit 1500 I'll do another because I know you guys are anxious to hear from him. Plus by that time we'll have some other outtake options as well. : )  
**

**Also on a more serious note, I am still preparing for an upcoming story for the fall and am looking for an official beta to work with. I browsed through the beta section on here but it was a little overwhelming so I thought I'd put an "ad" out here first. If you're a beta reader and would be interested in working with me please send me a PM and we can talk a little more and see if we'd be a good fit. Thanks : )  
**


	14. Premiere

**A/N: I snuck away and found a WiFi spot! : D. Thanks for all the reccs everyone! Also just an FYI Bella is not preggers. They haven't done the deed yet, although if anyone could pull of immaculate conception it would be Edward Cullen. **

**Who's ready for the movie premiere?  
**

A week later Edward, Rosalie and I were on his private jet on our way to L.A. I've been to California before but never to Hollywood so despite how worried I was about actually going through with this I was excited.

Edward and I sat next to each other on the plane, our fingers delicately entwined together. Rosalie sat a few rows behind us reading a magazine. It was kind of nice to not have to hide our relationship for once. She didn't act weird or different towards us at all. I was glad it was her and not Alice with us. It would have been torture to stay away from him. Apparently Jasper was forcing her to go away with him for the weekend. She wasn't too happy to be away from her work but I know that she needed it. She gets way too involved sometimes and I worry about her. So this was really a win-win situation for the both of us. Rosalie told her I was coming to keep her company while Edward did his thing.

When we landed there were some paparazzi waiting. Edward let go of my hand and I fell back a few steps to let him walk ahead of me and Rosalie. It was strange how natural that seemed for us, to distance ourselves at a moment's notice. It wasn't normal, but it was natural. Edward walked out into the mob first and jumped into our car. Rosalie and I followed and I ignored the screams at me. As soon as I was in the car Edward put his arm around my shoulders.

When we got to the hotel we pulled into an underground parking garage to avoid all the paparazzi. The concierge met us at the door and welcomed us inside. They led us all to our separate rooms. I knew I didn't have to stay in it, but it made me a little sad that Edward and I technically had to have our separate rooms just in case Alice got a hold of the bill or something. At least Edward's was right beside mine.

I sat down on my bed and looked around. It was the usual, or what had become the usual. The hotel room was almost like a mini-apartment complete with a separate living room and kitchen. I thought it was a little ridiculous since we were only staying here one night.

I heard a knock at my door so I jumped up and skipped over to it. I peeked out the peephole, expecting to see him standing there. There was no one there. I pulled open the door and looked down the empty hallway. _Weird_.

I heard the knocking again, but this time I realized it was coming from inside my room. I closed the door and followed the noise through my living room. I don't know how I didn't notice before but there was another door beside the entertainment center.

"Um….hello?" I asked, tentatively.

"Room service miss," Edward laughed.

I smiled and whipped the door open. Rosalie was a cunning little lady. She got us adjoining rooms. He took a few steps forward and press his lips against mine.

"I don't think my room is the only thing that needs servicing…" I mumbled.

"I think we could probably arrange that." He smirked and reached for the hem of my jeans just as there was a knock at my real door.

"What?" I yelled as his lips dipped to my neck.

"Stop making out we have to go shopping or you're going to that premiere naked tonight!" Rosalie yelled.

"I think I actually like that option better," Edward teased.

"Edward you have five minutes with her! Five!" She accentuated.

Exactly five minutes later she was knocking again, threatening that she had a key. I pulled myself away from Edward and opened the door for her.

"Let's go!" She said.

"Okay let me just grab my camera!" I whipped around and started towards my bedroom.

"Bella this is not a photo adventure. This is a dress adventure," she complained.

"I'm a photographer, every day is a photo adventure!" I skipped back out and gave Edward a kiss before we started out the door.

"Edward," Rosalie turned back around. "You are to be dressed and ready to go by seven. The limo will pick you up outside. I will take Bella in a separate limo and she will be waiting for you inside the theater. Understood?"

Edward nodded and started pouting as we left.

Rosalie was silent the whole way to the store and I wondered if she was mad or something.

"Hey is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah why wouldn't it be?" She kept her eyes on the road.

"I don't know you're just…acting kind of weird. No offense."

"No I just…I've never seen Edward act this way before," she mumbled.

"Like what?"

"Like…like he actually cares about not fucking things up with you Bella. I think he's falling in love with you."

"No he's not," I said quickly. He couldn't be. We've only been technically together for like a month. I mean I know we had something unofficial before that, but this kind of thing doesn't happen this quick. Actually it doesn't usually happen to me period.

I cleared my throat and kept my eyes on the road.

We finally pulled onto Rodeo Drive and found a store to shop in, although I figured it was way too expensive for me to afford a pair of underwear from the place. I snapped a few pictures as we walked inside.

We were greeted by name by a tall brunette woman that reminded me of my aunt Tibby. I think there was enough hairspray in her hair to hold off a monsoon.

"Rosalie. I pulled out some of the dresses you requested," she said. "This must be Bella." She shook my hand and darted towards the back of the store. We followed, my eyes scanning all the dresses in the store. I saw a dark red one that I kind of liked so I looked at the price tag. I almost fainted. I knew for sure now that I couldn't afford anything in here.

"Uh…Rose…" I started.

She ignored me and pushed me into a fitting room. The first three dresses I tried on I hated. I stared at the last one as it hung on the hanger. I didn't even want to try it on. It was orange. I hate orange. It wasn't necessarily a bad color orange; I mean I didn't think I was going to look like a construction cone or anything. It was more like a sunset.

I slipped it on just for shits and giggles and smoothed the fabric over my body. It was strapless, empire waist. The fabric was so light it literally just fell over my body. There was a tall slit up the front, just off to the side. I couldn't tell it was there until I started walking and my thigh peeked out. I hated to admit that I actually liked it. Honestly I loved it. I whipped the fitting room door open and stepped outside.

"That's the one," Rose said smiling. "We'll take it."

"But," I started. I hadn't even looked at the price yet.

The saleswoman came over and ripped the tag from the dress before I could even look.

"You can get changed while I ring this up." She nodded and disappeared from the area.

I shook my head and went back into the room, quickly changing into my regular clothes. Rose was already up at the register when I came running up with the dress.

"Alright, your total is $8,452." The saleswoman looked up at me and smiled.

"Excuse me?" I choked.

Rose pulled out a credit card and handed it to her. She started running it through.

"No Rose. You can't pay for this. It's too expensive," I pleaded.

"I'm not paying for it. Edward is. He insisted."

I started to feel bad about all this extra money he was spending on me. I didn't need to be showered with gifts constantly.

The saleswoman gave Rosalie her receipt and took the dress from me so she could wrap it up properly.

After we were done, I got into the car, feeling a little overwhelmed. I was looking forward to getting back to the hotel and resting for a little before the premiere. I didn't even pay attention that Rose was driving in the wrong direction until we pulled up in front of a salon.

"What is this?" I asked as she parked the car.

"This is a salon," she joked.

"I know, but what are we doing here?"

"You're getting pampered for your big night." She smiled and pulled me from the car.

"This isn't my big night," I started protesting. "No one's even going to see me Rose!"

"That's not true. Edward's going to see you." She pulled me inside and gave the woman my name.

"Okay." The receptionist started reading from her computer. "So we've got you down for hair, nails, makeup, spray tan and wax?"

"Wax?" I squeaked. "No wax." I shook my head.

"She'll have the wax." Rosalie nodded and followed me into the back.

"Rosalie what are they waxing?" I asked.

"Your Britney," she smiled.

"My what?"

"Your…." She cleared her throat.

"Oh hell no. I won't do it."

After I'd been spray tanned and had my nails done I found myself sitting in a small room with Rose staring at the bowl of hot wax as it heated.

"I hate you," I mumbled.

"Come on. Have you ever had it done before?"

"No. And there was a reason for that."

"Stop. It doesn't even hurt."

I reached over a grabbed a strand of her hair before yanking it out. She winced slightly. "Did that hurt?"

She didn't answer as the sculpting artist walked in. Yes that's what they called her. A sculpting artist. I was in no mood for anything on my body to be sculpted so as far as I was concerned she could keep her hot wax away from me.

"Hello Bella," she said softly. "How are you today?"

"I'm a little fucking paranoid right now, but thanks for asking." I crossed my arms over my chest and laid back.

"First time?" She laughed.

"What made you think that?" I snapped.

"Yes its her first time," Rosalie smiled sweetly.

"Just relax." The woman sat down towards the end of the table just like she was going to give me my yearly exam. It was mortifying. I didn't wax, but I always thought I was fairly good with keeping….that area acceptable. I still didn't want some stranger up close and personal with my business. "The wax will be a little hot and then I'll apply the strips. You may feel a little discomfort when I take the strip off." She started rubbing the wax over my skin and I jumped. Maybe if I run for it now I can avoid it. I'd rather be the crazy girl running around the salon with wax all over her crotch than have to endure this.

When she pushed the strip down on my skin I knew it was too late. It had to come off somehow and now I was screwed. Rose reached out and held my hand a moment before that devil woman ripped the strip off me.

"Fuck shit!" I screamed.

Fifteen minutes later I hobbled over to the hairdresser's chair, cursing Rosalie under my breath. That was totally uncalled for.

I barely noticed as they started working on my hair. The makeup artist came over about halfway through and started applying my face for the evening. Rosalie sat in the corner watching with a smile on her face. I think she was enjoying this. I would find a way to pay her back later.

I didn't even look at myself when they told me I was done. I just wanted to get out of here. Rosalie paid again and I went out to wait in the car.

"Bella I know you think I'm evil but you look beautiful," she said as she got in the car.

I flicked her off as she drove us back to the hotel.

I could hear Edward moving around in the room next to mine but Rosalie told him he wasn't allowed in here. She slipped me into my dress and touched up my hair and makeup before forcing me to look in the mirror.

I hardly recognized the girl in front of me at first. I'd never had a tan before in my life and even though it was fake it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I thought I was going to be a walking carrot but it was more of just a soft glow. It looked great against the color of my dress. My hair was a mess of loose curls, complete with a jeweled crystal headband placed along the top.

"Wow…" I breathed. I felt beautiful.

"Okay no crying or anything we have to go. Edward's going to be leaving soon."

"Can't I just see him for a minute?" I whined.

"No. Let's go." She grabbed me a purse and we were off.

There weren't too many people there when we arrived. There was a line of paparazzi and a red carpet, but none of them paid much attention as Rose and I darted past. They looked up for the slightest instant, thinking I might be someone important, before going back to playing with their cameras. Rose ushered me inside the theater and talked to the security people, I assume telling them who I was and why I was there. She made sure I was all right and then she left.

I felt a little awkward just standing there waiting while everyone else was rushing around. People eventually started arriving and I peeked out the doors so I could see. The photographers started going crazy as Jane started down the carpet. She had a dress so short that I was surprised we couldn't see her Britney. She hammed it up for the photographers and then stepped inside, glaring at me for no apparent reason other than she can. _I'm sorry I'm not the one who looks like a slut you skank-a-saurus._

The photographers started going crazy again, but I figured since it was accompanied by the screams of teenage girls that a guy must have arrived. I was just hoping it was my guy. I peeked out again and smiled when I saw him. He was wearing white pants with a white jacket and black button down. The first few buttons were undone and I licked my lips as I explored his exposed skin. He talked to a few reporters and snapped a few pictures as he made his way to me. I saw his eyes dart my way a few times, but I don't think he could see me yet.

I held my breath when he walked through the door, his eyes scanning the room for me.

"Over here superstar…" I called out.

He turned towards me and froze. His mouth opened and closed several times like he was trying to say something, but couldn't get the words out. He finally sauntered over to me and put his hand on the small of my back as he led us towards the theater.

"You look so sexy it should be illegal," he leaned down and whispered in my ear.

I absentmindedly ran my finger down the sliver of skin on his chest, wordlessly returning his compliment. I was starting to think that maybe this whole day wasn't a total waste. He seemed to like it.

We entered the theater and the usher led us to our seats. It was still light inside, but a little darker than the lobby. We were seated pretty close to the front, probably about four rows back. I looked around as other people started filtering in, seeing if I recognized anyone. I was bound to get star struck at some point in the night I'm sure.

I noticed Jane and her date sit a few rows in front of us. She glanced back at us, eyeing me like she remembered me from the lobby. I turned towards Edward and saw he was staring at me.

"What?" I whispered, almost embarrassed by the look in his eye.

"Nothing." He smiled and rested his elbow on the armrest between us, never taking his eyes off me. He ran his finger along his bottom lip and I had to hold back the urge to kiss him. I knew that look. I knew what he was thinking. And it made me want to kidnap him so I could have my way with him behind the concession stand.

The lights blinked a few times, breaking me out of my stare. I cleared my throat and turned my head forward, unable to hold in my smile. They eventually lowered the lights and started the movie. I tried to keep my eyes focused on the screen but it was a little hard when I could feel Edward staring at me like that.

I slowly turned my face towards him again and he smirked, turning his face to the screen for the first time.

He eventually reached over and took my hand, resting them both in my lap. His thumb started rubbing soft circles over the back of my hand and I'm pretty sure a soft moan escaped from my lips. Thank God this was an action movie with a lot of noise.

Throughout the whole movie he found ways to touch me. He'd brush against my arm, or squeeze my hand tighter, or take a risk and lean down to graze his lips across my shoulder.

I bit down on my lip as the big action sequence started on the screen. I figured it was getting close to the end because there was shit exploding everywhere. I'd been so distracted I hadn't even seen Edward's cameo.

I gasped as he maneuvered his hand out of mine, moving it towards the slit in my dress.

I turned towards him and shook my head. He just smiled at me and rested his chin on his other hand. My fingers clenched onto the seat as his fingers brushed against my bare thigh. He started massaging it, inching farther up each time. I glared at him when he reached the hem of my underwear, but he looked like he was thoroughly enjoying this. He loved watching me come undone.

As he slipped his hand inside, his brow furrowed a little. I could imagine he found something to be missing from the last time he visited that destination but it looked like he liked it. He laughed under his breath and turned his eyes back to the screen while his fingers worked. I felt my skin flush with heat and I unconsciously moved my hips against his hand.

He dipped another finger inside and I felt my breathing start to grow shallow and ragged. If it weren't for the loud noises onscreen I'm sure the people around me would have heard me. I knew I wasn't being quiet by any means.

I closed my eyes and focused on the way his fingers felt against me, blocking out anything else. There were truly magical. They should have their own show in Vegas, they are that fucking talented. I tensed up just before going over the edge.

"Oh God!" I screamed. I heard gasps from around me and I slowly opened my eyes to a completely silent theater. Apparently the movie had ended. "Oh God," I repeated in embarrassment.

Edward discreetly moved his hand from my dress and stood up. "I know!" He said sarcastically. "The movie was that good!" He laughed and pulled me out of my chair. We made a quick exit so I could compose myself. I tried to avoid all the stares of the people as we passed, focusing on walking without tripping. Left. Right. Left. Right.

As soon as we were out in the lobby again I started hyperventilating.

"They all know….they all know what you just did to me and I'm so embarrassed."

"Hey…" He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me to him. "They don't know," he whispered. "Only I know. Just me." There was something strangely sexy about that and it eased my embarrassment a little, even if he was lying. Those fuckers knew.

"Can we just…go back to the hotel now?" I asked.

"I have to at least make an appearance at the after party. We don't have to stay long." He leaned down and kissed me a moment before the rest of the people started out into the lobby.

Apparently the after party was at the theater itself. They had some type of lounge on an upper floor.

Edward led me up the stairs and got me a drink at the bar to calm me down. I downed it and instantly asked for another one.

"Take it slow okay?" He said quietly, handing me another drink.

We mingled around a little and I was thankful that the alcohol was taking a little bit of the edge off because otherwise I would have been a nervous wreck.

A drink or two later I found myself very talkative. Edward's arm was wrapped around my waist, keeping me steady as I talked with the director of the movie.

"I'm going to go call the limo and tell them we're ready." Edward kissed my head and left the room. I finished up my conversation with the director before starting to make my way towards the door.

"Did you see that girl Edward was with?" A snarky voice said from beside me. Any other time I would have ignored it, but I knew exactly which body that annoying voice belonged to. I turned around and saw Jane looked directly at me as she spoke to another girl. "Must one of his new toys." She winked at me.

I took a few steps towards her and plastered a smile on my face. "Hi. I'm Bella!"

"Jane," she sneered.

"Did I just hear you talking about Edward?"

"Yeah. And honestly honey I don't blame you. He's a great fuck, but don't fool yourself into thinking its anything more than that. Did he tell you we spent a night together last week? The night of the cast party. I think the room next to us had to put their earplugs in." She laughed.

I knew she was lying because Edward was with me that night and I wanted so badly to tell her that, but I couldn't. But it bothered me that she was saying things like that about him. He wasn't a whore like she was. Who knows what other kind of lies she's telling people about him?

"Listen bitch!" I pointed my finger at him. "Leave him the fuck alone. He's not interested in you or your infested snatch so go find another dick who wants to take a ride on the Skank Train!"

I turned around and found Edward standing behind me, his mouth dropped open.

"Edward!" Jane shouted. "Do you see how this bitch just talked to me?"

She expected him to stand up for her. Boy was she in for a rude awakening.

Edward started laughing and wrapped his arm around my waist, leading me towards the door.

"Not that I suggest you going after any of my old flames, but that was the sexiest thing I've ever seen. Thanks for defending my honor…" He whispered.

"No problem. No one messes with my guy." I stumbled a little as we walked down the stairs but Edward saved me from falling. We got into the limo right outside the theater and started back to the hotel.

I tried making out with him the whole way and while he didn't resist me, he definitely didn't encourage me either.

"Wait until we're back at the hotel love…" He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

As soon as we pulled in, I jumped out and dragged him behind me. I fumbled with my room key, suddenly nervous. Did he expect us to have sex tonight? I mean I definitely wanted to do that with him but I didn't know if tonight was the right time. I was definitely drunk and he was definitely not, and even though I know he wouldn't make me do anything I didn't want to, I really wanted to be fully conscious when I experienced that with him. But that didn't mean I couldn't kiss him.

As soon as my door closed I pushed him up against the wall and pressed my lips against his. He moved us back towards the bed, his hands roaming all over my body. I fell back on the bed and tried to pull him with me. I reached for the button on his pants and quickly had it undone. I started pulling his pants down, but his lips stilled on mine.

"Bella I don't think we should do…that tonight. You're drunk." He smiled and kissed me again.

"I just….want to make you feel good. I want to…I want to feel good." I tried to push his pants off again, but he got up and stepped away.

I sat up, my legs dangling over the edge of the bed. "You don't…want me?" I asked.

"Of course I want you." He kneeled down on the floor between my legs. "I just want that to be special for us okay? And you do make me feel good. Just by being here you make me feel good."

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, taking his bottom lip between my teeth and biting hard. He growled and pushed me back onto the bed, his hand searching for the slit on my dress again. He shimmied himself down my body and came to rest on the floor again.

"What are you doing?" I whined.

"Just relax…" He pushed the slit of my dress aside, revealing everything from my hips down. "This is a new development." He hooked his fingers around my underwear and pulled them down.

"Rose took me today… What do you think?"

A moment later his tongue was on me and I screamed, fisting the sheets beside me. I guess he liked it.

He growled as he pushed his face farther between my thighs.

"Shit," I whispered, sucking my bottom lip into my mouth. I bucked my hips against him and smiled. I knew it wouldn't take long for me to find my release. This train was already chugging down the track at full force. "Chugga-chugga-chugga…" I started mumbling. I was so drunk.

"What?" Edward's eyes peeked up from beneath my dress.

"Nothing. Don't stop. Please." I ran my fingers through my hair, tugging desperately as he went back to work. I whimpered as I felt his teeth gently tug at my center, sending a shiver through my whole body. After tonight I was planning on building a shrine to Edward's fingers and tongue.

"Edward," I moaned.

"Say it again…" He mumbled, kissing my inner thigh.

"Edward," I hummed. He nipped at me again and it almost sent me. "Right there."

"Where?" He teased. "Here?" He raised his eyebrow as he did it again and I cried out as the waves of ecstasy rolled through every nerve in my body.

He crawled up on the bed beside me and kissed me, allowing me to taste myself on his lips.

"I think I need to get some new underwear that say "Property of Edward Cullen's Tongue" over the crotch," I whispered, trying to catch my breath.

He laughed and kissed me again. "Let's get ready for bed, we have an early flight tomorrow."

I couldn't move. My muscles were complete mush. I hummed as Edward pulled my dress off me and threw one of his shirts over my head. He tucked me into bed and crawled in beside me. I was passed out smiling in a matter of seconds from a Cullen coma and I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to wake up from it.

**A/N: I would like to volunteer myself to be Edward's next date to a movie premiere…just sayin. **

**My recc for this week is Just Wait by InstantKarmaGirl because Stutterward owns me. That is all.**

**Remember to vote in the poll!  
**


	15. The Daddy Issue

**A/N: Who's ready to meet Edward Sr.? The poll for the EPOV outtake is extremely close so make sure to vote for you favorite!**

Edward started training with Emmett again a couple days after we got back from L.A. so I didn't get to see him as much. He'd come over at night sometimes if he wasn't too exhausted, but he always had to leave really early in the morning.

Three weeks later he called me, telling me that he was going to be able to play in the U.S. Open. Carlisle told him that his ankle looked like it was fully healed and he wasn't having any problems with it during practice.

"Listen," he said. "We do this thing every year before the U.S. Open. We take a trip down to South America to relax the week before, otherwise I get irritable." I cleared my throat, trying not to laugh. "Okay more irritable than normal," he corrected himself. "Anyway will you go?"

"Of course I'll go. Are you sure it'll be okay?" Alice was still in the dark about our relationship and I didn't know if she would get suspicious of me coming on their vacation.

"Yeah it'll be fine. She's already planning on asking you anyway at your meeting today. Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett are coming too."

"Okay yeah. Sounds good then."

"Great. I've got to get back to practice, but how about we stay at my place tonight?"

I didn't expect him to say that. We've never stayed at his place. I realized I don't even know where he lives.

"I…" I started.

"I'll text you the address and leave you a key with Frank. I'll let him know you're coming."

"Okay."

"See you later." He hung up, leaving me stunned. I mean I guess I always expected to see his place eventually…maybe. I just had a feeling this was kind of a big thing for him.

I finished getting ready for my meeting with Alice and the Sports Illustrated guy today. They just wanted to see my progress and how the pictures were coming along. I picked out some of my favorite pictures, which was hard because they were pretty much all my favorite. Edward was very photogenic.

Alice picked me up a little later and drove us to the office. I was pretty excited to show her my stuff, she hadn't seen any of the pictures yet either.

We waited a mere ten minutes before we were led back to the same office. It seemed so long ago that I was here acting like a fucking spastic mess when Alice hired me. A lot has happened since then. A lot has changed. I've changed.

I shook Mr. Cleary's hand and sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

"Miss Swan," he started. "I'm very interested to see what you have for us."

"Me too," Alice smiled.

I took a deep breath, suddenly a little nervous. I was really confident in my photos but this was still a pretty stressful situation. I reached a shaky hand into my briefcase and pulled a folder out with Edward's name on it. I set it on Mr. Cleary's desk and started pulling out the photos one by one. I handed them to Mr. Cleary who examined them and handed them to Alice. Neither of them said anything and I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Well Miss Swan…" Mr. Cleary started. I held my breath. "These are excellent." He smiled at me. "Just excellent. Some of the best photographs I've seen in awhile."

I glanced over at Alice, unable to contain my excitement. She was beaming.

"You know, if this feature turns out as well as it looks like it's going to, you may find yourself a permanent fixture at Sports Illustrated."

I couldn't believe this was happening. Was this man kind of, possibly offering me a job?

I felt like I was on cloud 9 for the rest of the meeting. I barely registered Alice and Mr. Cleary talking beside me. I didn't even realize the meeting was over until Alice was tugging on my arm.

"Thank you Mr. Cleary," I managed to get out.

"Keep up the good work Miss Swan…" He started shuffling through some papers on his desk as we left.

We waited until we were in the elevator before we started screaming.

"Oh my God!" I squealed. Alice hugged me and we jumped up and down, not bothering to care about the few other people in the elevator with us.

"The pictures are truly wonderful Bella! I'm so excited for you!" She hugged me tighter before we stepped off and into the lobby.

I wanted to call Edward, tell him right away, but I couldn't.

"So I wanted to ask you something," Alice said as we jumped into her car. I had a feeling this was what Edward told me about earlier.

"Okay." I played innocent.

"We always take this trip before the U.S. Open…kind of gives us all a little breather before the tournament. I've always thought that Edward should be training the week before a tournament, but he and Emmett insist its good for him to take a break so he doesn't wear himself out. Anyway…" She waved her hand as she turned down my street. "I would love it if you would come with us. Carlisle bought Esme this little island off the coast of Brazil and its so beautiful there. We're all flying down next weekend. Well everyone except for Edward. He's meeting us a week from Monday."

"Why's that?" Edward hadn't mentioned that.

"He's going to New York for the weekend." Her voice was distant, uninterested.

"Does he have another charity event or something?" I started getting my things together as she pulled in front of my building.

"No he's visiting his father." She put the car in park. I noticed that she didn't call him "our father." I didn't press the issue any further, but wondered why Edward didn't tell me. I knew how strained his relationship with his father was, I couldn't imagine why he was going to visit him.

I thanked Alice for the ride and started up to my apartment. Jasper and I hung out for the rest of the day, but I was a little anxious to get over to Edward's place. He'd sent me his address while I was in the meeting with Mr. Cleary.

I figured Edward would be at practice until around seven so I waited a little while after that before I headed over. I packed an overnight bag and told Jasper I'd be back tomorrow.

I hailed a cab and told the driver the address. I was surprised to find that Edward didn't live right downtown. The cabbie drove me a little ways out of the city and up a small hill. I could still see the lights of Seattle down below.

We pulled up to a gate with a little building next to it. The cabbie stopped and a tall man stepped out of the building.

"Can I help you?" The man asked as the cabbie rolled down my window.

"Yeah. Hi I'm Bella Swan, Edward said that he'd…"

"Of course Bella. I'm Frank. Mr. Cullen told me you'd be coming and also asked me to give you this." He reached into his pocket and handed me a key before handing something to the cabbie. "I'm usually here at the front entrance but if I happen to be gone, the code to the gate is written on this paper." He handed me a piece of paper before backing up and pressing the gate button. It swung open in front of us. "Mr. Cullen arrived home about twenty minutes ago, please go in."

I smiled and nodded, the key feeling heavy in my hand. I quickly memorized the number on the paper before tearing it to shreds.

The cabbie took me up a long driveway and up to the house. It looked like a small hotel more than a house, but it didn't surprise me with Edward's extravagant taste.

I got out and went to pay the cab driver but he shook his head.

"It's already been taken care of Miss," he smiled. "Have a good evening." He put the car in drive and was gone.

I turned around and walked to the front door, wondering if I should just go in or knock. Edward had done both, although lately he just walked in like he owned the place. I used my key and peeked my head inside.

"Edward?" I called out. He didn't answer so I walked in and locked the door again behind me. I shifted my bag on my shoulder and started up the stairs. I figured if he were downstairs he would have heard me.

I heard some movement behind one of the doors so I started towards it, assuming that's where he was. I peeked my head inside and smiled when I saw him sitting on the bed, his hair damp from a recent shower. He was shirtless, sitting on his bed in nothing but his boxer-briefs with his phone in his hands.

"Hey babe," he said softly as I walked in. He motioned for me to hold on for a minute while he turned his attention back to his phone. "Yeah Dad its me. I just wanted to remind you that I'm coming this weekend. I'll meet you at your office on Friday at four and we have dinner reservations at five-thirty so…I guess that's it. I'll see you soon." He threw his phone down and started towards me. He kissed me before taking my bag from my shoulder and setting it in a chair in the corner. "Here I'll give you a tour…" He smiled and reached out his hand to me.

He led me outside his bedroom and down the hallway to the bathroom. There was a Jacuzzi tub and a huge countertop and sink. He cleared his throat and nodded to the toothbrush holder. There were two.

"I got you a toothbrush for here just so you don't have to bring one every time…" He whisked around and opened a cupboard. "I also got some new towels and got you your own robe and stuff. If you need anything else just let me know and I can get it brought here." He seemed nervous about me staying here, but I think that was a good thing.

"Thank you," I whispered. "You didn't have to do all this, but thank you." I smiled as he led me back out into the hallway. There wasn't much more to see on the second floor, just a guest room and another small bathroom. He took me downstairs and showed me his kitchen and living room, which held a baby grand piano. He also had a small office off his living room and a game room in the basement.

"So that's it…" He said, taking me back to his bedroom.

"It's a really nice house. I didn't know you played piano…" I smiled.

"Just a little. I'm not that good."

"You'll have to play for me sometime." I would do crazy things to watch those fingers dance across piano keys. Crazy, dirty things.

He laid down on the bed, resting his hands behind his head.

"Are you tired?" I asked.

"I'm fucking exhausted. Emmett was on a tirade today," he sighed.

"Well let's just go to bed then." I started digging around in my duffel for some pajamas. I didn't bother leaving the room to change and he didn't bother averting his eyes.

I crawled into bed with him, resting my head on his chest. He leaned over and turned out the light before pulling the covers over his head.

"So you're going to see your dad this weekend?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Any reason?" I edged. I didn't know if I was pushing my boundaries but I wanted to know. And he asked about my dad so I thought I had the right.

"Yeah he flaked out on my birthday and coming to some matches he said he would so it's kind of a rain check. We planned it a few weeks ago, right before Wimbledon. He said he'll be too busy during the U.S. Open."

"He doesn't really come to your matches a lot does he?" I asked, holding onto him tighter.

"No," he answered quickly.

"Did he…when you were younger?"

"A couple. He was always a little distracted though. On his phone a lot. I remember one time I got so embarrassed because he got kicked out of one of my matches for talking too loud." He laughed. "He's busy though. He's a lawyer at a big time firm. They handle a lot of big cases so…"

"Edward that doesn't mean that he's allowed to treat you like shit. You're his son." I started to hate this man that I didn't even know. Edward deserved better than that. "He should always be there to support you." My father sure as hell wasn't and I know how much that hurts. I didn't want that for him. Maybe he was better off without him. I was starting to realize I was better off without my father. If you don't expect anything you can't get hurt. "Alice gave up on him why don't you?"

"He's my dad Bella. I don't know how to give up. I want what anyone wants from their father…"

I started to realize that Edward's tennis and his relationship with his father might be more entwined than I thought.

"Edward were you always as…competitive in tennis as you are now?" I winced, trying to word it right. I wasn't trying to be an ass.

"You mean did I always call the line judges fucking idiots?" He laughed.

"Yeah."

"No. Not when I first started. I guess it just started getting out of control."

I sighed and closed my eyes. I was no psychologist but it seemed to me all Edward wanted was attention from the one person he should automatically get it from. I'd bet that Edward was the perfect gentleman when he started playing tennis. His father never came to his games so the only logical thing was to act out, get more attention. He was still doing it now, but his idiot father wouldn't budge. It used to be just acting out, but after he'd grown up he started lashing out even more, and then it was the booze and the girls. It all started to make sense to me now. I should have my own show like Dr. Phil, I'm so brilliant. That's what this whole New York trip was about. He wanted his father to acknowledge him.

"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked without even thinking.

"What?" He murmured, half asleep.

"Do you want me to go with you? To New York?" I sat up on my elbows so I could see his face.

"You'd do that?" He lifted his hand and ran it through my hair.

"Of course."

"I'd like that. I'd love you to meet my dad." He smiled in the darkness as I settled back onto his chest.

I called Alice as soon as I got up the next morning, telling her that I had some work I wanted to finish up this weekend so I wouldn't be able to meet them until next week. She had the brilliant idea that I ride down with Edward and I happily obliged. She thought she was so smart thinking of it, even though it was really what Edward and I were hoping she'd say anyway.

I spent the next couple of days preparing for New York and South America. The group was leaving the night before us so we didn't have to worry about Alice finding out we were going to New York together.

Edward picked me up early on Friday, way too early. Our flight left at like four in the morning so we had to be there before the butt crack of dawn even thought about rearing its ugly head. I didn't even know why I went to sleep.

I slept on his shoulder the whole way there. He woke me up just as we started coming into New York City, since I've never been. After we landed we got into a car waiting for us. It took us straight to our hotel, but we didn't have much time to relax. We had to be at Edward Sr.'s office in a half hour or so. Edward and I quickly changed and I ran a comb through my hair and put a little makeup on. I didn't want to look like a complete idiot when I met his dad for the first time.

I started to get a bad feeling as we walked into his dad's building. I couldn't explain it, but I just had a feeling this was going to end badly. Edward took my hand as we got onto the elevator and rode up to the fifth floor.

The doors opened to a small waiting area. Edward pulled me from the elevator and up to the counter, where a woman was talking animatedly with someone on the phone. After she hung up she turned towards us and smiled.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Yeah I'm here to see Edward Masen," Edward said.

"Is he expecting you?"

"Yes. I'm his son."

"Alright let me check." She picked up her phone and dialed a few numbers. "Mr. Masen your son is here…." She looked up at Edward and winced a little. "He said you were expecting him…." I gripped onto Edward's hand a little tighter. "Alright." She hung up and smiled up at us again. "He's in a meeting right now that's running just a few minutes late, he said to take a seat and he'll be right with you."

"Thank you." Edward nodded and pulled me towards a couple chairs. We waited…and waited…and waited. I tried not to glance up at the clock, but I couldn't help it. Edward stared straight ahead, his foot tapping anxiously on the floor. It was quarter after five. We'd been waiting for almost an hour and a half. We were going to miss our dinner reservation. Edward had gone up to the desk several times and asked how much longer he was going to be and each time that stupid secretary gave the same answer. "Just a few minutes," she said. A few minutes my ass. We'd been sitting here long enough.

Edward was getting more anxious. Even more than that he was embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. I knew him well enough that he was trying not to cry. He was trying so fucking hard and it was killing him. It pissed me off.

"It's okay baby." I kissed his cheek and got up, storming over to the front desk. "Listen," I said to the woman. "If he doesn't walk through those damn doors in thirty seconds I'm going back there and it's not going to be pretty. Understand?"

Right on cue the doors burst open and a few men walked through, laughing casually.

Edward stood up and ran his hands along his sides, like he was trying to wipe off the sweat.

I instantly knew which one was him. Edward looked just like him. The same chiseled jaw, same nose, same damn ears. It was like a preview of what Edward would look like in thirty years. He was a handsome man, but there was something about him. He was cold.

"Dad?" Edward mumbled. His voice was weak, void of any confidence or strength. I hate that his father reduced him to that. I walked over to stand beside Edward and took his hand.

"Edward." His eyes glanced my way. "I apologize for making you wait."

"Making us wait?" I asked. "We waited over two fucking hours for you," I snapped. That was probably inappropriate. I bit down on my tongue and held my breath.

"And this is?" Edward Sr. narrowed his eyes at me.

"This is my girlfriend Bella," Edward said. "What happened? I told you we were coming."

"This meeting must have slipped my mind. It was important." He offered an emotionless smile. I knew that was bullshit. The meeting wasn't the thing that slipped his mind and he was dumb enough to think he could cover his ass with that lame excuse. "So shall we go to dinner?" He started towards the door.

Edward's hand tightened around mine, almost too hard.

"Well no we can't," he said. His jaw clenched tight as his brow furrowed, creating lines and valleys across his skin. "Our reservation was at 5:30 so they've probably given away our table seeing as we're about an hour late." He was breaking. I wrapped my other arm around his waist, trying to keep him calm.

"Well I'll call and get another one." Edward Sr. reached for his phone.

Edward sighed in frustration before he laughed. There was no humor, no happiness in his laugh. "You don't….you just don't get it do you? It's not about the fucking reservation!" He screamed.

The rest of the people in the waiting room stared as us and I cowered into Edward's side.

"I had to make a fucking appointment to fly across the country and meet my father for my birthday dinner, which by the way was over a month ago and then you fucking forget about it!" Edward's shoulders started heaving up and down. "You know what? Fuck you. I'm done with this shit." He pulled me towards the elevator and the doors closed quickly in front of us, leaving Edward Sr. in the waiting room.

Edward was completely silent as we walked towards the car. He opened my door for me and walked around to his side. I wasn't completely sure he should be driving right now, but I didn't want to argue with him. The look in his eyes…it wasn't him. He wasn't there.

He sped back to our hotel and didn't bother greeting the concierge as we walked by. He pulled me into the elevator.

"Edward?" I whispered, turning towards him as we ascended to our floor. He didn't look at me. He just stood there, breathing heavily through his nose, his hand clamped down on mine.

As soon as the door of our room slammed shut he released me and took his jacket off, throwing it on the floor.

"Every fucking time!" He screamed, his voice breaking. He leaned back against the door, eventually sliding down it as he collapsed on the floor. The sounds….the sobbing coming from him made my heart ache. He pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face, crying as he rocked back and forth.

I took a tentative step forward. And then another. I swallowed hard and bent down beside him. I pulled his face away from his hands and pulled myself onto his lap.

"Hey…" I whispered. "You don't need him. You have me."

He crumbled into my arms, crying harder than before. And I just held him. I didn't even realize I was crying until I noticed the dark spot forming on his shoulder.

"I love you," he stuttered, pulling back. He held my face in his hands and said it again. "I love you so much." He pressed his lips to mine and I could taste the remnants of his tears.

"I love you too…" I whispered. I pressed my forehead to his as I nodded, assuring him that I meant it. I love him.

He kissed me again, holding my face to his as his tongue swept out and ran along my bottom lip. I whimpered, sniffling as I ran my fingers through his hair. I pulled back so I could look him in the eye. I placed my hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat loudly against my palm.

There were a million questions, a million words exchanged without a single sound. I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his and I started unbuttoning his shirt. He leaned away from the door so I could brush it off his shoulders.

I brushed my lips over his bare chest as he reached for the hem of my shirt, quickly pulling it over my head.

We got up and slowly made our way to the bed, discarding our clothes along the way. I thought I'd be more nervous, when I knew it was going to happen. I wasn't nervous at all. I just wanted to be with him. And that was it.

I sat on the edge of the bed in my bra and underwear as he approached, his pants and boxers already on the floor. My eyes never left his as he crawled onto the bed, hovering above me. I reached behind me, arching my back up, so I could unclasp my bra. It popped open; my straps falling slightly down my arms.

Edward bent down and grazed his lips down my arms as he pulled it off, throwing it on the floor behind him. I moaned as I felt his weight bare down on me. It wasn't uncomfortable. It was safe. It felt like home to me. I pushed myself up to meet his mouth, forcing my tongue inside to meet his. His hands roamed down my body, ever so lightly exploring me. He was so gentle, so loving.

He sat back, standing up between my legs as he hooked his fingers around my underwear.

"Are you sure?" He whispered.

I nodded and he pulled them down. He disappeared for a minute to grab his wallet. I heard the ripping of the foil as he pulled the condom out, but I shook my head.

"I'm on the pill, it's okay…I trust you." I know it probably wasn't the smartest thing to say, but I did trust him. He loved me. He wouldn't ever do anything to hurt me.

"Bella…"

"I just want to feel you…" I pulled him down to me. "Please."

"I've always used one…before. And I've been tested…"

I nodded and pressed my lips to his. "Okay," I whispered. "Okay."

He nudged my knees a little further apart and moved his hips forward, just barely brushing against me. I whimpered and threw my head back.

"Bella," he said. I forced my eyes back to his. "I love you." He leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine.

"I love you."

He inched himself forward, letting out a strained groan as our bodies connected. I could feel him, I could feel all of him and for the first time I felt complete. He made me complete.

He brushed his lips against mine as I thrust my hips up to meet his. I wrapped my legs around his waist, forcing him closer. He collapsed onto his forearms, resting his face mere inches from mine as we moved together. He occasionally brushed his finger along my temple and into my hair, clenching his eyes tight for a moment as he groaned under his breath. I could see the small beads of sweat starting to drip down his forehead and I reached up to brush them away.

His hands snaked around to my lower back before whipping me around so I was straddling his waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, using it or leverage as I moved my hips. He buried his head in the crook of my neck, slowly kissing and nibbling the skin there. His hands gripped lightly at the small of back, gently guiding my hips as they rocked against him.

My fists clenched tight against his back, feeling my stomach start to coil up. He forced me a little rougher down onto him and I came completely undone. He grunted and followed me a few moments later, pressing his lips to mine and letting out a throaty breath.

We both collapsed onto the bed and for the second time that day, we both cried.

**A/N: I hate Edward Sr. with a passion. He's such a douchetool.**

**Thanks so much to everyone that's been reviewing, favoriting, alerting, reccomending. It means a lot to me and Tennisward. And let's face it, after this chapter he needs a little lovin.  
**


	16. Pete of Peen's

We made love again before he fell asleep. I willed my eyes to close but I just couldn't stop looking at him. My fingers traced his face as he slept, his chest rising and falling with each breath. He was so beautiful; it almost hurt me to look at him. It made me sad that very few people know how amazing he really is, beyond anything physical. Behind all the aggression and anger, he was just Edward. And I was in love with him.

I lay there all night, my mind absolutely racing. I just couldn't understand his father. No matter how I tried to rationalize it, I just couldn't. There was no reasonable explanation and I didn't understand.

"I wish I could make it better for you…" I whispered, running my fingers over his lips. I wiped the tears away from my cheeks and leaned over to kiss him. I glanced over at the clock and finally got out of bed around nine. I had to talk to him.

I left Edward a note and got dressed before hailing a cab. It was a Saturday morning, but for some reason I felt like I knew exactly where Edward Sr. would be.

The cab dropped me off in front of his office building, the same one I'd been at only yesterday. I took the same elevator up to the same floor. It opened in the same waiting room. It wasn't dark in there, but the lights weren't on either since they weren't technically open.

I stormed past the empty secretary's desk and through a set of doors. There were rows of doors down the hallway in front of me, each with names in a gold plated slat. All of them were completely dark except for the one down at the end.

I started down towards it, hardly surprised when I read the name on the slat. _Edward Masen._ I didn't bother knocking, I just walked in.

He jumped a little as his door slammed against his wall. He looked up from his paperwork and smiled. That bastard fucking smiled at me. He had no right.

"Bella is it?" He asked, turning back to his paperwork.

"Yes," I hissed. "And I'd like just a moment of your time."

"If you could just wait a few moments while I finish this up…" He started.

I charged over and swiped the paperwork out of his hand, throwing it across the room.

"No. I'm done waiting. You'll listen now."

He sat back and sighed in annoyance. "Alright."

"You don't deserve to have him in your life, but for some odd reason he still wants you. I know I haven't been in his life that long, but honestly sir, I think you're a fucking asshole. So as far as I'm concerned, you're done with him. You're not his family. Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, me…even Jasper…we're his family. Carlisle and Esme are his family. And chances are you don't even know who half of those people are because you too self-absorbed. You will not call him, email him, send him any letters. You will not tell him that you're coming to a match or meeting him for dinner. You are not to have any contact with him, do you understand? I don't ever want to see that disappointment in his eyes ever again, because I'm in love with him and when you love someone you want to protect them. So I'm protecting him from you. You're getting what you want. You obviously don't care about having him in your life so here you go. Leave us the fuck alone." I glared at him a moment before turning around and walking out. _Damn that felt good_.

On the way back to the hotel I stopped and got some donuts and coffee so I didn't come back empty handed.

Edward was still lying in bed when I got back, but he was awake. He smiled at me as I sauntered in, bag of donuts and coffee in hand.

"Hey," he smiled, stretching his arms over his head.

I jumped on the bed and set the coffee down on the nightstand.

"What's in the bag?" He asked.

"Sex toys, porn and lube…" I joked.

He smirked and rolled on top of me, trying to fight his way into the bag.

"Give me the bag Bella…" he purred, tickling my sides.

"No!" I held it tight to my body, fairly sure that the donuts were smooshed by now.

"Give it to me," he laughed.

"Okay! Okay its just donuts!" I threw the bag at him.

"Tease." He straddled my waist, effectively pinning me to the bed. He pulled out a powdered sugar donut and took a bite before holding it out to me. I took a bite, getting sugar all over the exposed skin on my chest.

"Mmmm." He kinked his eyebrow. "Bella for breakfast." He leaned down and ran his tongue over my chest, licking up all the sugar.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked.

"Good." He started picking at another donut. "Hey I'm sorry…about my little emotional breakdown…" He mumbled.

"It's okay." I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"And I meant what I said. When I told you I loved you…" He looked up and me and nodded. "I meant it."

"I did too." I sat up and kissed him, my heart fluttering when I felt him smile against my lips. "So what do you want to do today? I've never been to New York you should show me around."

"Okay well go take a shower and get ready and we can head out." He nodded towards the bathroom. I started to get up but he pulled me back for one more kiss before releasing me.

Edward bombarded me about halfway through my shower, saying something about conserving water. I knew better.

We got out and started getting dressed. Edward pulled on a baseball cap, hoping to divert some of the attention from himself. It was hard to imagine having to worry about that all the time. I mean, sure athletes probably don't have it quite as bad as celebrities, but it can still be bad. They're their own celebrities in their own ways.

He took me down to Battery Park and we took some pictures of the Statue of Liberty from shore. We got some lunch at a small pizza place before heading up to Times Square. It was a little too touristy for me, but it was still nice to see. I made sure to stop into Bubba Gump's and get Jasper a shirt.

Edward snaked his arms around my waist as I was paying and started whispering in my ear. "Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There's shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried."

I laughed and handed the clerk my money.

By the time we got back to the hotel, it was past dinnertime. Edward offered to take me to this little bar for dinner and drinks.

"It's so great. I know the guy who owns it. It's a little piano bar and not many tourists stop in so it's perfect," he smiled and kissed my cheek.

"Okay sounds fun." I don't know how anyone could say no to this man. In fact that's probably what got him into half of his problems in the first place, but I didn't want to think about it.

He held my hand as we walked down the street, the sun just starting to set behind the skyline. A few people did some double takes, looking back at us as we passed but we only got stopped once on our way to the bar. Edward signed an autograph for the little boy and took a picture with him.

We walked for a long time before Edward pulled me into this tiny bar called Pete's Piano Bar. The sign outside was neon blue and most of the letters were burnt out. The only ones still glowing were the P-e-e in Pete's and the n in Piano. Edward didn't understand why I was laughing.

There were booths lining the wall opposite of the bar, with tables smattered in between. The stage was right in front with a big, old piano and a microphone.

The man at the bar was bustling back and forth, busy with the few patrons. Edward smiled and walked up to him.

"What does it take to get a little service around here?" He yelled.

The bartender turned around with a scowl on his face and I was sure we were about to get kicked out.

"Would you just relax you…." His scowl turned into a huge grin. "Son of a bitch! Edward!" He jogged out from behind the bar and they man-hugged while I stood and watched. "How have you been? Haven't seen you in awhile?"

"I've been good. How about you?"

"Surviving," the man said. "Saw about your whole debacle at Wimbledon, sorry about that."

"Next year," Edward sighed.

The man's eyes shifted to me and he nodded. "Hi I'm Pete." He held out his hand to me.

"You're thee Pete of Peen's?" I asked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, not knowing if he heard me correctly.

"Nevermind. It's nice to meet you. Great place you've got here."

"Thanks. Feel free to take a seat anywhere. I'll bring you guys over some menus." Pete nodded and returned to the bar.

Edward pulled me over to a booth and sat down across from me.

"So what do you think?" He asked, taking his cap off for a moment and running his fingers through his hair.

"It's nice." It was actually kind of a dump, but I like bars like this. It's almost like a secret society of people who know about them and they're much better than all the hip places. "So how do you know Pete?"

"Well if you can even believe it, whenever I came here to see my dad when I was little he was always busy." He rolled his eyes. "I started going to Central Park just to sit and I met Pete there. We just kind of clicked and we've been friends ever since. He's known me since before this whole…fame thing."

Pete came over with menus and beer and slid in beside me, much to my surprise. He threw a menu at Edward before throwing his arm over my shoulder and pulling me close. "So tell me Bella. How did you manage to reign this one in?" He nodded towards Edward.

"I don't know Pete. It could have been my irresistible personality or my great rack, but I guess I'll never know." I winked over at Edward. He shook his head laughing. "I think he's the one who reigned me in actually."

"No, no. You my dear must have talent. Edward has never brought a girl to my bar before so you must be special. What do you do for a living?" He took a sip of my beer.

"I'm a photographer."

"Really?"

"Nice. Ever take pictures of ugly over there?"

"Quite a few actually."

"And he didn't break your camera?"

"Not yet."

He smiled and stood back up as I started glancing through the menu.

"What can I get you guys?" He asked, pulling a pad of paper from his back pocket.

"I want a bacon cheeseburger with everything and a side of fries." I closed the menu and set it down.

"I'll have the same," Edward laughed. "Thanks Pete."

"Sure thing. You know the stage is pretty empty tonight?" He nodded suggestively.

"Oh no! Not tonight!" Edward raised his hands and shook him away.

"You've played here before?" I asked once Pete had left. I took sip from my beer.

"Just a few times." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I always use my dad's last name when I play so no one recognizes me."

"So you'll play for a room full of strangers but you won't play for me?" I teased.

"You make me nervous," he admitted.

"Why?"

"Because you mean more than a room full of strangers and I don't want to disappoint you."

I narrowed my eyes at him and reached across to grab his hands. "Edward you could play Yankee Doodle and I wouldn't be disappointed. You promised me you'd play for me sometime and I want to redeem." I smiled.

"Maybe," he smirked at me and leaned back in his chair.

We finished our first round of beers before they brought our food out so I offered to go up to the bar and get us another. Pete smiled at me as I approached.

"You know I was just joking with you earlier? Except for the fact that he's never brought a girl into my bar." He said as he grabbed some more mugs.

"Yeah."

"Edward's a good guy."

"He is." I smiled and handed him some money.

"On the house."

"Thanks Pete." I leaned in closer to him. "And he owes me a song on that piano."

"Gotcha." He winked as I walked away.

He was going to be so mad at me. But in all fairness he does owe me and its not like he's never played in public before. It would be fine.

Pete brought out our food fairly soon after that and we both devoured our burgers. I could safely say it was the best cheeseburger I'd ever had in my life. And I have had a lot so I'd like to consider myself a connoisseur of cheeseburgers.

Edward was just finishing his third beer when Pete stepped up to the microphone and tapped it a few times. _Shit. Maybe this was a bad idea. _

"Hello everyone, thanks for stopping in tonight..." he started. "And you're damn lucky you did because we have a special guest this evening who is going to grace us with a song on our beautiful piano here." Pete looked our way and Edward whipped around and narrowed his eyes at me. "Please welcome Edward Masen to the stage!"

The crowd started clapping as Edward shook his head at me, trying not to smile. He finally got up and leaned down to kiss me. "You are in so much trouble," he said.

He shook his head again and started up towards the stage. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath as he sat down on the piano bench. He pulled the microphone closer and flashed a dazzling smile towards the crowd.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" He asked. The crowd cheered again. He smirked and started playing random notes along the keys, just warming up. His fingers moved effortlessly, almost like they were floating across, brushing across them ever so lightly. "This song is called 'Angel Eyes' and it's by the Jeff Healey Band."

His eyes connected with mine and he shook his head smiling as he started to play. I leaned forward on my elbows and watched, simply mesmerized by his playing. He sang with his lips shockingly close to the microphone, closing his eyes as he hit the higher notes. For me there was no one else in the room. The bar was empty. It was just me, him and that piano. I blinked back into reality as the crowd erupted in applause. Edward nodded and smiled before stepping off the stage.

I started panicking, thinking he was going to yell at me or something. Thankfully Pete intercepted him and I slipped towards the hallway marked restrooms. I knew I'd have to face him eventually, but maybe Pete could be my buffer. I leaned out and watched them talk. _Buff Pete, buff._

I took the few minutes that I had to sneak into the bathroom. I ran my fingers through my hair and checked myself over in the mirror. Someone opened the door behind me and walked in, but I didn't really pay attention until they locked the main door.

"Excuse me?" I whipped around.

"You were a bad kitty…" Edward kinked his eyebrow at me. His hat was flipped around, sitting backwards on his head with his hair peeking out from underneath.

"You owed me…" I backed up until my back hit the wall, but he just kept stalking towards me.

"Yeah and now you owe me. You made me sing…" He leaned in and ran his finger down the middle of my chest. "And now I'm going to make you sing."

"Not here…" I tried to wiggle out of his hold, but it was impossible. His finger continued down to my stomach and across my hip before he grasped my thigh and pulled it up around his hip. He brought his other hand to the button of my jeans as he watched himself with amusement. "Edward," I whispered.

He leaned forward and started kissing my neck. He slowly unbuttoned my jeans and undid the zipper before slipping his hand inside. They were so tight that he could barely move. He laughed and grabbed the top of my jeans, pulling them down just below my ass before going back to work.

My jaw dropped open as I threw my arms around his shoulders.

"Fuck me…" I mumbled, arching my hips to his palm. My eyes fluttered shut as he dipped another finger inside.

"Just let me take you baby….let go." He pressed his lips roughly to mine, forcing my mouth open with his tongue.

I started moving my hips more roughly against him, itching to get off. He groaned into my mouth as he bit down on my lip, sending me over the edge. I slowed my hips as a whimper escaped my lips. My shoulders heaved up and down against the cold tile of the wall as I tried to catch my breath.

I heard someone try to open the door and knock once they realized it was locked.

"Is anyone in there?" A girl called.

Edward smiled and pulled my pants back up over my ass while I floated back down from my high. He buttoned them back up, gave it a pat and turned around. He unlocked the door and stepped outside.

The girl looked slightly confused, glancing back and forth between Edward and the sign on the door that clearly said "Ladies."

I cleared my throat and took a few wobbly steps forward so I could assess myself in the mirror. My hair was a complete mess and my face was so red it could probably be used as a fucking traffic light. I'd have to be more careful in public places since Edward obviously had no problems fucking me over. Literally.

I straightened my hair again as the girl entered a stall, laughing quietly under her breath. I started out and saw our table was already cleared and another group of people were sitting there. He must have already taken care of the tab. I glanced around the bar, thinking he was probably talking to Pete somewhere.

Someone pinched my ass and I spun around, expecting to find Edward. It was some random guy and his buddies. He eyed me suggestively as his friends threw him a high five. Punks.

"I'm sorry does my ass have a sign on it that says "Open for Business" because I don't remember putting that on today?" I glared at him.

"Sorry baby. It was just too fuckable not to touch."

"Excuse me?"

"Listen." He took a step towards me. "Why don't we get out of here? I live just down the road." He glanced down at my boobs and smirked. "You got a name?"

"Yeah it's Back the Fuck Off Perv." I started to turn around but he grabbed my arm and spun me back around. I looked down at his hand grasped around my arm. My skin was screaming out in pain. "Ouch you're hurting me." I tried to twist away from him. "Back off asshole!" I shoved him away and he finally let go of me.

"Got a little fight in you huh?" He licked his lips and smiled. "Don't worry I like that. I'll see you later baby."

I turned around and started walking away even though I had no idea where Edward was right now. I finally spotted him sitting at the bar talking to Pete. I just needed to get to him.

"Hey!" Pete said as he saw me approach.

"Hi…" I mumbled, grabbing onto Edward's arm. Maybe those pricks would get the point now.

As soon as Edward turned towards me his smile fell. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Bella…" He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I'm fine it's just…those guys started bothering me when I was coming out of the bathroom."

"What guys?"

"Those ones over there. At that first table." I glanced over at them. They were still staring at me. Edward stood forcefully up off his stool and started towards them. "No Edward." I pulled him back. "Please don't. It's fine."

"It's not fine Bella. Are you okay?" He sat back down, his eyes flickering over to them once more. I nestled my way between his knees and he wrapped his arms protectively around my waist.

"I'm fine. It just freaked me out a little bit.'

"Those guys?" Pete asked, pointing to them.

"Yeah."

"All they ever do is cause trouble in here. I'm always looking for a reason to kick them out." He jumped out from behind the bar and walked over to them. A few minutes later they were gone and Pete was back with us.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Edward seemed to relax a little after they were gone and we had a couple more beers before we decided to leave. Edward tried to hail a cab but it was a Saturday night in New York City so I wasn't surprised there were none to be found. It wasn't a long walk from the hotel but this just didn't seem like the best area.

"Let's try another road. Maybe we can get a taxi there." Edward looked around cautiously before grabbing my hand and pulling me up the hill. It looked like the street up there had a little more traffic.

There were people scattered every so often down the sidewalk, some asking for money and others just hanging out. I couldn't imagine why you'd want to hang out on a sidewalk, but I guess to each their own.

We didn't make it ten steps away from the bar before I felt uncomfortable. I cowered into Edward as we passed by a larger group. I held my breath as we walked through their cigarette smoke, not bothering to look at them.

"Look who it is?" A voice sneered. I felt someone smack my ass and I knew exactly who our unwanted guest was.

Edward stopped beside me and tensed up.

"Edward don't. Please let's just go." I tried to tug on his hand as he turned around to face them.

"Did you just touch her?" He asked.

"Is she your girl?" The guy asked. He blew his cigarette smoke right in Edward's face. "Because I'd love to tap that."

If I wasn't so worried about Edward I would have rolled my eyes at this guy.

"Excuse me?" Edward glared. "I think you better apologize to her for sticking your grimy paws all over her." He took a few steps towards the guy.

"Edward!" I said a little louder.

"Edward?" The guy asked. "What a wimpy ass name!" His friends laughed. He turned to me and smiled. "My name's Matt, you should probably commit it to memory baby cause you'll be screaming it later." He blew a kiss my way a moment before Edward lunged at him.

"Shit," I mumbled. I tried to get in there and pull Edward off him, but the rest of Matt's friends pulled me back, laughing like they were watching a movie or something. "Let me go."

Matt pushed Edward back and took a swing at him. Edward ducked and I couldn't tell if he got hit or not. I frantically reached into my purse, remembering my pepper spray. I shot it at the two guys holding onto me before starting towards Matt. His foot was back behind him like he was ready to kick Edward.

"Stop!" I screamed, holding it up again.

Matt smiled and slowly backed away from Edward.

"Baby are you okay?" I bent down to Edward and grazed his back. He shot up and wiped at his cheek. There was a small cut just below his eye.

I turned to Matt and started towards him before Edward could pull me back. "You son of a bitch!" I held up my pepper spray and sprayed it into his eyes. I spun back around and grabbed Edward's hand, pulling him up towards the street.

Thankfully we found a cab right away and I tried to hold back the tears on the way back. I was so anxious that I couldn't stop my legs from bouncing up and down.

When we got to the hotel Edward paid the taxi driver and we started back to our room. I sighed and set my purse down in the chair as Edward went into the bathroom. He leaned forward towards the mirror and winced as he started pushing on his cheek.

I sat down on the bed and buried my face in my hands, finally allowing the tears roll down. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life.

"Bella?" Edward was suddenly kneeling down in front of me. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," I sniffled. "That was my fault."

"That was not your fault." He tilted my chin up and wiped my tears away.

"Please don't be mad at me…" I shook my head.

"Sweetie I'm not mad at you…how could I be mad at you?"

"Look at your face…" I cried.

"It's okay I needed something to make it a little less perfect…" He joked. Of course he would make a joke about himself right now. "Just because you are as beautiful as you are doesn't mean that anyone has the right to treat you like that."

"Okay Casanova…"

"My intentions with you were completely honorable." He smiled and kissed my forehead before walking back into the bathroom.

"Bullshit," I laughed, finally starting to calm down a little.

"Okay maybe they weren't, but I never would have done something like that to you. And my dishonorable intentions turned into something I never expected and I couldn't be more thankful about it." He wet a washcloth and held it to his cheek. He pulled his hat and shirt off before crawling onto the bed with me.

I pulled my shirt over my head and reached for my pajamas.

"Not going to lie, I fucking hate New York." I laid back in bed. We've been here for two days and he got into an epic battle with his dad and we got jumped. We also had some great sex so I guess I couldn't complain about that part.

"Want to just stay in bed all day tomorrow?" He asked, lying down beside me.

"Promise?"

**A/N: Just a PSA: I don't hate New York. I actually love New York so I'm not hating on it : ) If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere….and Edward and Bella made it many….many times.**

**So everyone's asking...when the hell is Alice going to find out? They actually manage to keep it from her for a little while longer.**

**Song in this chapter is added to Edward's playlist for Bella on the blog.  
**

**Lots of exciting news! So the poll on the EPOV is done and I'm excited to announce that it was suuuper close. I have a feeling that they'll be more in the future so if yours did not win don't fret! You'll have the opportunity again. But without any further waiting the winner was Edward's Birthday by a smidge. So I'll get working on that right away and post it as soon as possible. It will be put into a new story called Game, Set, Match Outtakes so make sure you have me author alert if you want it right away. Thanks for voting everyone.**

**Secondly I'm happy to announce I'm holding a contest of some sorts, or maybe just a fun way for you to get involved with the story and get some Tennisward porn in the process. I've put up a new poll for Edward's theme song so check all them out and vote for your favorite. I'm also putting out a call for some Tennisward pics. These can be manips (which I'd love a few) or just pictures that make you think of Tennisward which can be a racquet, or a guy playing tennis...anything. Anything that screams Tennisward is applicable. You can send them to mandyleigh010(at)gmail(dot)com and once (or if) I get a good number of them I'll put together a lovely slide show with the pictures and the winning song. But I can't do it without your participation so send in those pics because who wouldn't want a Tennisward visual? Feel free to send in as many as you'd like. **

**Lastly my recc is High Anxiety by EdwardsBloodType. Go read! : )**


	17. Test

Edward followed through with his promise and we stayed in bed all day Sunday. We didn't talk about his dad or my dad or the fact that we could have gotten knifed last night. It was perfect.

We got pretty early the next morning for our flight. Edward carried our bags down to the lobby and checked out while I waited by the door. We hailed a cab and Edward handed me my new passport as we pulled up to the airport.

"How did you get this so fast?" I asked.

"A Passport Genie," he answered. He stepped outside and grabbed our bags again.

"Very funny."

We checked in and made our way to our gate. This was going to be a long ass plane ride. We had a connecting flight in Atlanta but I had a feeling my butt wasn't going to really care in the long run.

I slept most of the way to Atlanta, but couldn't get comfortable on our second flight. I sighed and reached forward, grabbing one of the magazines from the pouch in front of me. I started flipping through the pages, suddenly becoming very intrigued by the pictures. It was one of those nature-travel type magazines so it had some stunning photos.

"Wow," I breathed, running my finger over the picture. I've never seen water that blue before. I wonder if they cheated and added it in digitally. _Cheaters._

"Where's that at?" Edward took out his headphones and leaned over.

"One of those smaller islands in Indonesia. Beautiful huh? I'd love to take pictures like that." I smiled and turned the page. "Oh I forgot to tell you. Alice and I had that meeting the other day with Sports Illustrated. I showed the guy my pictures and he loved them. He said if the rest of the feature goes well they might give me a job."

"Seriously?"

I nodded.

"That's so great. Congratulations." He kissed my cheek. "But do you really want to do sports forever? I didn't think it was really your thing."

I shrugged. "I guess it isn't. But I mean it's a job. I could get more experience, more contacts. Just a stepping stone to something else."

"Like what?"

"Huh?"

"If you could have one job in the world…what would it be? Like your dream job."

"I like pictures like these." I held up the magazine. "Maybe something like National Geographic." I shrugged. "But the good thing about Sports Illustrated is they probably won't have a problem with me going to your matches after this job is over."

"You'll come after?" He asked.

"Well of course I will. Unless Alice has me banished or something. Why wouldn't I?"

"I…I don't know." He smiled and kissed my shoulder. "I'm glad you'll be there."

"Speaking of Alice we need to tell her soon. The longer we wait the worse it's going to be when she finds out."

"I know I just…can we just wait until after the U.S. Open at least? I don't want to think about it until after. Then we can talk about telling her okay? I promise."

"Okay," I mumbled.

We arrived in Brazil and took a cab down to the water. Edward led me down the boardwalk of the marina to a small speedboat and helped me inside.

"How long of a ride is it?" I asked, settling myself into a seat.

"Half hour, forty five minutes. We'll probably come onto shore one of these nights to go to the bars if Alice has her way." Edward started up the boat and started out into the open water. It wasn't long before I could see a pin dot of an island out in the distance. I smiled as we got closer and closer and I could finally make out some of the details on the shore. There was a long dock with another boat tied up, wobbling up and down with the waves. A larger building was directly behind that and down the sand I could see some smaller cabins.

Alice ran out from the big building screaming with happiness as Edward pulled the boat up to the dock. She helped me out and he loaded our luggage out onto the dock as he tied up the boat.

"Welcome to Isle Esme," Alice said. "Edward what happened to your face?"

"I got in a street fight…" He said.

"Ha, ha. Good one," she teased. That woman didn't believe him. If she only knew. "Jasper, Edward and I are staying up at the main house. We've got you in a nice little guest cabin. Do you want to put your things in there now?"

"Sure," I nodded, trying to digest her rant.

"I'll take her," Edward said. "The first or second?"

"First. Emmett and Rose are in the second. Just come back up to the house when you're done. We're just getting some food together." Alice disappeared back into the main house. Edward started leading me down the way, carrying my bag over his shoulder.

He walked right up to the first small cabin and opened the door for me. It was quaint. Clean, but not quite as elegant as the hotels we usually stay in. It was kind of nice for a change. It was set up almost like a little studio apartment with a bed and a small living room area all in one room. There wasn't a kitchen, but there was a small bathroom at the back.

"There's a small refrigerator over in the corner if you want to keep some waters or something in here. Otherwise there's a huge kitchen up at the main house." Edward set my bag down on my bed. "Bathroom should be fully stocked…" He turned around, scanning the room to make sure he remembered to tell me everything. "Oh if you open these windows you get a really nice breeze coming off the water."

"Okay. Thanks." I smiled.

He took a few steps towards me, stopping just before he was close enough to touch. "Bella…I just…we're going to have to be careful this week okay? This is a really small island and we're the only ones here so if it feels like I'm ignoring you or not paying as much attention as I should just know it's because of that. It's not because I don't…"

"I know," I interrupted him. "It's okay, I understand."

"Okay." He breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned down to briefly brush his lips against mine. "We should get up to the house."

I nodded and we started up towards the house. Alice gave me a quick tour once we got up there. There was a huge living room with a piano in the corner. The kitchen was right beside the living room, basically open to the whole thing. Edward was staying in the downstairs bedroom and there was a master bedroom upstairs, where Jasper and Alice would be. It was all fancier than the cabins, but still had the beachy feel too it. It almost reminded me of those houses you read about in all those Nicholas Sparks' novels. There was even a wrap around porch in the front. It should look totally out of place in a place so tropical, but it was perfect.

Alice wanted to go to the mainland that night, but Edward and I were too exhausted. She made us promise to go the next night instead. As much as I wanted him to, I knew that Edward couldn't stay with me tonight so we all separated to our respective rooms. I couldn't even call him because my damn phone doesn't work down here.

I got all my things settled and changed into my pajamas before crawling into bed with a book. There wasn't a television or anything so I didn't have much to do. I was hoping I could get out and take some good pictures at some point during the week.

Edward was right about the sea breeze. It was so warm in here I was glad that it was cool. My cabin was so close to the water that I could hear the waves crashing against the sand. I sat up in my bed and peeked out the window. The moon was full and sat lazily up in the sky, casting its light down on the water below.

I turned back towards the house and saw the entire house was dark except for the room that looked like Edward's. His curtains were closed but I could see his shadow moving around in his room. I smiled and lay back down in bed.

"Bella," Edward's voice said. I shot up in bed and looked around. The room was completely empty. I looked outside the window again. His shadow was still in his room. "Bella," Edward said again.

"Edward?" I whispered, slowly getting out of bed. I started walking around the room trying to find his voice.

"Bella I'm in your bag."

"What the fuck?" I whispered, turning back around to look up at his window. The curtain was pulled back and I could almost see him standing in the window.

"Look in your bag Bella…" Edward said again.

I genuinely thought I was going insane, but I did as he said. I grabbed my bag from the chair and dumped everything out on my bed. Beneath all my clothes was a small walkie-talkie, blinking furiously at me.

"Bella," Edward said again.

I picked up the walkie-talkie and pressed the large button on the side, assuming that was how it worked.

"Edward?" I whispered.

"Hey beautiful."

"How…?"

"I slipped it into your bag when you weren't looking. Did you really think I wasn't going to talk to you?"

I smiled and looked back at the window, waving to him. _How adorable is he?_

"I miss you," I said.

"I miss you too baby. What are you doing?"

"Just getting ready to go to bed. Read a little bit." I shrugged, even though he couldn't really see me.

"Alright I'll let you go. I'm going for a run tomorrow morning with Emmett, but I'll see you up the house okay?"

"Okay. I love you."

"Love you too. Goodnight."

I smiled and waved at him again before I tucked the walkie-talkie under my bed. I took a deep breath and lay down, not bothering to pull the covers up. I had a feeling I wouldn't need them tonight.

The sound of the waves lulled me to sleep and the next thing I knew it was morning. I woke up with a smile on my face; happy I could tell people I'd actually slept on a beach without excessive sand problems.

I rolled over and glanced at the clock. It was a little before nine. I was surprised I was awake so early. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair before jumping out of bed and stretching my arms above my head. I wonder if Edward and Emmett were back from their run.

I quickly brushed my teeth and headed up towards the house. Rose was sitting in the kitchen making some coffee, but the rest of the house was quiet.

"Good morning," she said, smiling at me as I walked in.

"Hey. Where is everyone?"

She pulled a cup and poured me some coffee.

"Alice and Jasper are still sleeping. And Edward and Emmett should be back any minute." She sat down beside me. "How did you sleep?"

"Good."

"How is everything going?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Everything is going well," I laughed, taking a sip from my coffee. "So what's the plan for today?"

"I think we're just going to lay down at the beach for most of the day. Alice wants to go onto shore tonight and hit some of the bars," she shrugged.

Two pairs of feet stomped up the stairs outside a moment before the door whipped open.

"Good morning muffin." Emmett skipped over and kissed Rose on the cheek.

Edward stepped around the counter and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"Good morning Edward," Rosalie smirked.

"Rose." He nodded and turned his eyes to me. "Bella."

"Edward," I smiled against my cup as I took a sip.

"Are you guys hungry? Do you want some breakfast? Bella and I could make something." Rose asked.

"Yes!" Emmett yelled from the other room.

Edward laughed, almost choking on his water.

"What is so funny?" I turned towards him.

"We don't have any frozen breakfasts here Bella, I don't know how Rose expects you to help cook."

"Shut it ass," I teased, pushing his shoulder.

He winked at me and leaned over to take off his ankle brace. "I'm going to go take a shower." He jumped off his seat and started down the hallway.

"Oh Bella…" Rose sighed, shaking her head.

"What?"

"Nothing." She opened the refrigerator and pulled out some food. "Do you think you can handle making scrambled eggs?"

"I can try, but I will not be held accountable if they turn out wrong." I hopped up and headed towards the stove.

"Bella they're scrambled eggs. You can't mess them up."

Ten minutes later I was staring down at the eggs, trying to figure out how I messed them up. Something just didn't look right.

"Something smells good in here!" Emmett stepped in and started surveying the spread. "Bacon, toast, sausage and…" He stood behind me. "What the fuck is that?"

"Scrambled eggs?" I squeaked.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"What's going on?" Edward walked up behind us, running a towel through his hair. "Oh." His face scrunched up as he looked into the pan. "I'll take care of it. Go wake Jasper and Alice up." He nodded towards Rose and Emmett and threw him his bath towel. "Baby what the hell did you do?" He grabbed the pan and brought it a little closer to his face.

"I don't know. I'm sorry, I told her I'm taking zero responsibility if my eggs did not scramble properly." I crossed my arms in front of me.

He poked at the eggs. "I don't even think they're on their way to scrambled. They're actually kind of hard." He poked at them again. "No worries. I'll take care of it." He darted over to the trashcan and flopped them inside.

I looked on apologetically as he grabbed some more eggs and milk to start over. He cracked about half of the carton into a huge bowl and added some milk before he started whisking.

God I love when this man cooks. He threw a dishtowel over his shoulder and started towards the stove. I bit down on my lip, trying to hold in my smile as I watched the muscles on his arms flex with each stir.

"What?" He asked, pouring the eggs into the pan.

"Nothing." I shrugged. "You're just really sexy when you cook."

"Oh really?" He cocked an eyebrow. He set the bowl down and licked his lips as he took the few steps to me.

"Mmmhmm."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and drifted south, gently squeezing the back of my thighs, just below my ass. I pulled myself up to kiss him while I had the chance. I started to pull away but he refused to let me go. He gripped onto my legs tighter and hoisted me up onto the countertop. He brushed his lips against mine again, tilting my chin up so he could dip his tongue inside. He tasted like mint.

I smiled against his lips and pulled him closer, reaching my hand under the hem of his shirt so I could feel his skin. Most people could kiss their boyfriends whenever they wanted but I was on restricted time. I had to take full advantage and I wasn't ashamed to admit that. _Hello my name is Bella Swan and I have a slight addiction to my boyfriend's mouth_. Sue me.

He growled and pushed his hips into mine. His eyes shifted over to the hallway that led to his bedroom.

"Do you think we can be quiet?" He whispered.

"I think…" I sniffed. Something was burning. "I think you're burning the eggs."

His eyes widened in panic as he spun back to the stove. There was a small line of smoke rising up from the pan. I started laughing hysterically as the rest of the group started down the stairs.

Emmett narrowed his eyes at us the moment he stepped into the room. "Damnit can anyone in this house make scrambled eggs? Anyone?"

"Sorry man I wasn't paying attention. They aren't that bad." Edward pushed them around a little and turned off the stove.

"Good morning everyone," Alice said, jumping into the room.

"Morning Alice," Edward and I said in unison.

"Let's hurry and eat so we can get outside. It's going to be a beautiful day." She smiled and jumped up onto one of the stools. Rosalie started dishing out the food to each of our plates. Edward's eggs were a little burnt but no one complained.

I headed back to my cabin to change into my bathing suit while the rest of them got ready for the beach. By the time I met them they already had chairs and towels all set up. The boys didn't take any time getting in the water. They ran along the coast throwing a football back and forth while the girls sat in the chairs.

I set my bag down and glanced over at Edward. He smiled at me as I reached down to pull my cover-up over my head, temporarily blinding me.

"Ouch!" Edward hissed.

I set my cover-up down and saw that Edward was rubbing his forehead. The football was floating down at his feet.

"Watch where you throw asshole!" Edward yelled.

Emmett laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you would have caught it if you weren't oogling Bella's goodies."

"Gross Bella. Put a shirt back on." Jasper winked at me and laughed.

Rosalie shot Emmett a nasty look, but Alice just kept flipping through her magazine in her own little world.

Edward picked the football back up and drilled it at Emmett's chest.

"So…Bella…" Alice smiled and turned towards me. "What ever happened with that guy?"

"What guy?' I tried to be discreet as I watched Edward.

"The one that I know was locked in your bedroom that one time. Spill."

"It's….complicated."

"What's his name?" Alice was eating this shit up. She was obviously a glutton for happy endings but I had a feeling she'd turn into the evil witch if she found out who my mysterious suitor was.

I just shook my head and bit down on my lip.

"Well it must not be serious….and since it's not serious you won't mind me finding you a guy tonight at the bar."

"Alice no…" I started.

"No." She held up her hand and smiled. "Sweetie if your guy isn't giving you what you need I'll find someone that will. You need to get laid."

"Alice…" Rosalie scolded.

"Who wants to play chicken?" Emmett yelled.

"Me!" I answered a little too quickly. I needed to get out of this area pronto.

Edward looked like he was going to offer to play with me, but Alice interrupted him.

"Edward I want to talk to you…" She waved over to the chair I'd just vacated.

"I'll play with you darlin." Jasper winked and scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulder and starting towards the water.

"Rose…baby come on!" Emmett ran into the water in front of us.

"Jasper put me down now." I started banging on his back. I was not one of those people who just jumped into cold water. I needed to ease into it. I had a feeling he was not a fan of this method.

He ignored me and started wading into the water. I looked back at the shore and saw Edward and Alice sitting close together. They didn't look pissed or anything but I could tell it wasn't a light conversation.

"Jasper!" I yelled again.

"Fine. I'll put you down." I could almost see the smirk on his face as he let me go, dropping me into the freezing water. When I resurfaced I half-debated on pantsing him in front of everyone. I was in the perfect position and I was willing to be subjected one more time to Little Jasper if it meant I could get him back. Instead I decided to be a better person and plot my plan for revenge later. I stood up and rung my hair out. The water was only waist deep and I hadn't planned on getting my hair wet since we were most obviously going to win. They may have us beat in size, but we're quick and nimble. It's in the bag.

Jasper bent down so I could hop onto his shoulders. Rose and Emmett were already situated, a large grin spread across Emmett's face.

"This next battle will be Team Hot Ass vs….?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

I glanced down at Jasper and he shrugged.

"Team Fire Breathing Ninja," I stated proudly. Jasper nodded in agreement.

"Okay. Fire Breathing Ninja…" Emmett continued. "Team Hot Ass is notorious for taking its opponents down quickly but how will things end today?" He raised his hand between us and karate chopped the air. "Battle!"

I smiled and reached out for Rosalie, grabbing firmly onto her shoulders, trying to push her off. Jasper and Emmett circled around each other as Rose and I fought. I knew they weren't going down easy. I had to be creative.

I glanced behind Rose and forced my eyes to open wide. "Is that a floating burger stand?" I screamed.

"What?" Emmett turned around, almost causing Rosalie to fall off of his shoulders. I took the opportunity to give her a hard shove. She was completely defenseless and tumbled forward, landing into the cold water. Emmett whipped back towards me as Jasper gave me a high five.

"You cheated." He glared.

"No we didn't. We're ninjas. We're just naturally better than everyone else," I shrugged. "Okay take me back to shore horsey!" I smacked Jasper on the shoulder and he started moving.

Edward and Alice were still talking. They'd completely missed the entire thing. I started getting worried, thinking the worst.

I jumped down from Jasper's back and waded the rest of the way to the shore, only catching the tail end of the conversation.

"You're better off Edward, I mean I'm sorry he did that to you, but I've been…" Alice said.

"I know you told me so." Edward's eyes flickered to mine and he smiled.

"We won," I announced.

"Congratulations," Alice said. "Now Edward leave so Bella can have her seat back."

He sighed and got up, lightly brushing against me as I sat down.

"So about this guy…" Alice started.

"Alice I said no. Conversation over." I reached into my bag and grabbed my IPod just in case she decided to ignore me. I turned on my side and put the headphones in, pulling my sunglasses over my eyes. I didn't realize I'd drifted to sleep until someone was poking me.

I shot up, instantly feeling the intense heat of the sun on my skin. I pulled out my headphones and looked around.

Edward, Rose and Alice were standing beside me.

"Why didn't you wake her up?" Edward snapped. "Look at her she's burnt to hell."

"I didn't realize she was asleep," Alice said. "She kept making noises like she was responding to what I was saying. I figured if you were burning that bad you would know."

I threw my sunglasses up and looked over my skin. I was already as red as a lobster. The Sun could go die in a hole.

"Bella dinner's ready," Rosalie said.

I started getting my stuff together and stood up. I was already in pain. I felt like I'd laid down in a bed of coals and rolled around for fun.

Apparently my little comment earlier made Emmett crave a burger so that's exactly what we had for dinner.

"We should probably leave in like two hours." Alice jumped up when everyone was finished and took our plates. "Bella what are you wearing?"

I winced as I shifted in my seat, feeling the intense burn on my skin. "Oh I was actually going to just go naked." I'm sure any type of clothing was going to feel like sandpaper on my skin. And I was not in need a buffing.

"I have something you can wear," Rose said. "Something soft," she smiled.

Rose led me back to their cabin and picked out something for me. It was a white flowy dress that felt like heaven against my skin.

I headed back to my cabin to take a really, really cold shower. My hair was already practically dry by the time I was slipping into the dress. _Damn you humidity_. My face was so red I didn't even need blush. In fact I barely put any makeup on at all because I felt like I was just going to sweat it off anyway.

The house was pretty quiet when I got back so I took a chance and went to Edward's room. I knocked and peaked my head in. He was standing in front of the mirror running his hands through his hair.

"Hey," he whispered. He turned around and grimaced as I closed the door. "God that looks like it hurts."

I nodded and sat down on his bed.

"I'll come down after everyone goes to bed with some aloe. That'll make it feel a little better." He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. "You look beautiful though."

"I'm a tomato," I mumbled.

"A very beautiful tomato. I'd eat you," he winked and I blushed, not that it mattered. He couldn't see it right now anyway. "So what was Alice talking about earlier…about some guy?"

"Oh just Alice trying to set me up because she thinks I'm not being taken care of."

He laughed and took one last look in the mirror. "Hey just so you know, this bar we're going to tonight. We go to it every time we come here and there's this…"

"Where is everyone!" Rosalie yelled. She knocked on Edward's door. "Is extra crispy in there with you?" She said softly.

"Yeah," he said.

"You should probably come out. Alice is going to be down in a minute."

I immediately started towards the door and made my way out to the kitchen.

"Bella you look beautiful!" Alice clapped her hands together as she skipped into the room. Jasper and Emmett followed behind her. "Are we ready?"

We all started outside and got into the boat. I guess Edward was driving since he wasn't drinking tonight. Apparently they've taken boat taxis before. I didn't even know those existed.

"We don't drink and boat in this family," he teased.

Rose and Alice complained about how cold the wind was on our way in. but I loved it. In fact if someone could just drive me around like this all night I would be okay with that. I was like the baby that can't sleep unless they're in the car. I'm the lobster who can't stop the inferno on her skin unless she's darting around in a speedboat. _Burn baby burn_.

We eventually got to the marina and Edward tied up the boat before helping everyone off. The city looked different than I remembered. There were so many more people out at night; it almost looked like those Cops episodes at Mardi Gras.

We passed a few bars before Alice disappeared inside one with a neon palm tree for its sign. She pulled us up to the bar and ordered a round of shots for everyone. After our third round, I opted for an actual drink. Edward stood, leaning up against the bar sipping on his Rum and Coke, hold the Rum.

"Edwardo!"

I turned towards the voice and glared. You've got to be kidding me.

Edward's eyes widened as a slender tan girl walked up and wrapped her arms around him.

"Maria." He laughed nervously.

"Baby you didn't call me and tell me you were coming down?" She kissed his cheek. _That's mine._

"Sorry." He glanced my way apologetically, even though he was speaking to her. Well he's obviously done the horizontal tango with her before. Didn't need to hire Sherlock Holmes to figure that mystery out.

"Hey Maria!" Alice waved. _Fuck my life, she's in with the fam._

"Alice." Maria leaned in and kissed Alice's cheek.

"Can I get another drink please?" I downed my glass and handed it to the bartender.

He smiled and handed me one. "What's your name?" He purred.

"Bella."

"I'm Antonio."

I cocked my head to the side. He was kind of cute. Dark skin, dark eyes, dark hair. I leaned over the counter and smiled at him.

"Nice to meet you Antonio." I extended my hand to him and he surprised me when he kissed it.

Antonio started talking to me, but I completely lost focus about two words in. I must have been three sheets to the wind already because his hair slowly started lightening up. I blinked a few times, hoping I was just seeing things. His hair was now a bronzy mop, tousled on top of his head. His eyes had also turned deep green. I realized in an instant that I was looking at Edward, not Antonio. I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to completely clear my thoughts. When I opened my eyes again Antonio was still talking and my hallucination was gone.

I looked back over at Edward and felt my anger burning through my sunburn. She was pressed up against him, his hand resting lightly on her hip and he made no attempt to push her away. Part of me knew that he was trapped and didn't want to make a scene in front of Alice, but on the other hand I was pissed that he wasn't. I wanted him to yell and scream that he was in love with me, but I knew he wouldn't.

"Bella?" Alice was grinning from ear to ear.

"What?" I said, glancing past her as I took a sip of my drink.

She nodded behind me. I spun around and ran right into Antonio.

"I was wondering if you would dance with me." He took my hand.

This could go one of two ways. I could dance with him and piss Edward off the way he was pissing me off. Or I could say no and sit here and watch Edward piss me off while I stood by helplessly. It was probably the wrong way to go about it but I decided to proactive about my little situation. I guess I didn't need him to stake his claim on me, but Maria also didn't need to run her finger along the waistline of his pants either. _Get a room. Actually don't._

"I'd love to." I set my drink down on the table and let him lead me out onto the dance floor.

He held our hands up and snaked his other around my waist, pulling me close to him. I'd never danced like this before but I was fairly sure I was going to fail miserably.

He started twisting his hips, short and staccato to each side. I tried to mimic his movements but I just started laughing at my lame attempts and just went with it.

"This song….is about a woman who wants a man she can't have," Antonio whispered in my ear. He smiled and twirled me around.

"Do they end up together?" I asked, starting to get out of breath.

"No. He gets trampled by a herd of bulls."

"Oh."

The music slowed down and he pulled me closer. I was a little surprised with how cavalier he was with his hands. In all fairness I guess he was just living up to the song. It sounded like it belonged in a South American porn movie.

"So…what's this song about?" I asked, my nose brushing against his cheek.

"Sex," he purred. "Dancing is very primal, very raw. It's all about feeling." He ran his finger down my side. I wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, but I wasn't interested either. At all. I wanted to piss Edward off, not go overboard. His hands dipped lower, effectively cupping my ass and grounding my hips into his.

"Uh…Antonio…" I started.

"What the fuck is this?" Edward snapped. I instantly removed my arms from Antonio's neck and stepped back. "What are you doing? Who the hell is he?"

"Who the hell is she?" I pointed towards the bar. Maria was waving at him.

"She's an old friend."

"Yeah you seem to have a lot of those. Do all of them stick their hands down your pants in the middle of a crowded bar?" I screamed. The few people dancing around us stopped.

"Are fucking serious right now?"

"Yes Edward. I'm fucking serious. Do you have any idea how that made me feel sitting there watching her grope you?"

"Well at least I wasn't practically having sex with someone on the dance floor!" He screamed.

"Guys." Rosalie ran up between us. "Calm down. You've got an audience."

I looked past her and froze when I saw Alice. Her eyes narrowed at us, carefully taking in the scene before her.

I darted back to the bar and grabbed my purse. "I'm leaving," I said, starting towards the door. Alice grabbed my arm and pulled me back around.

"What the fuck was that?" She said, pointing to Edward. He was starting back to the bar with Rosalie, his shoulders heaving up and down. "Why was he so….?" She trailed off and I could see it in her eyes. She'd connected the dots. "Are you fucking him?" She screamed.

"Alice…"

"Are you?"

"No Alice, she's not fucking me." Edward stepped between us and took his Coke glass.

"Bella?" Alice asked.

I glanced at Edward, tears prickling behind my eyes. "No." I felt terrible for lying to her. I mean I guess I wasn't technically lying because I didn't consider it that, but technically I was. I crossed my arms in front of me, hoping I wouldn't give myself away. "I'm not."

"Then why the hell did you freak out on her?" She pushed Edward on the chest.

"That guy was practically fucking her," Edward yelled.

"What if she wanted to be fucked?"

"Yeah Edward." I held back the tears and kinked my eyebrow. "What if I wanted to be fucked?"

He glared at me as I started walking away. I was about halfway down the street when I heard someone screaming my name behind me. I ignored them and kept walking.

"Bella!" Jasper said, finally catching up to me. "What's wrong, what's going on?"

"I just want to go back okay?"

He took in my expression and instantly wrapped his arms around me. "Okay we can go back."

He led me down to the marina and we found one of those famous boat taxis to take us back to the island.

"I'm sorry I took you away from Alice," I mumbled, settling into Jasper's chest.

"It's okay sweetheart. You're my best friend, she knows that."

Jasper paid the man when we got back and offered to hang out with me.

"No it's okay, I think I just want to be alone right now. You can still go back you know. I'm sure they'll still be there."

"No its okay I was getting tired anyway. I'll be here if you need anything."

"Thanks Jasper." I took off my shoes and started walking down the beach towards my cabin. The water barely brushed against my skin and it was surprisingly warm. I bit down on my lip and looked out at the water a moment before I pulled my dress over my head. I took a few steps into the warm water. I eventually found myself waist deep, floating along on my back. I tried not to think about what little creatures were probably in the water around me because I would probably have a panic attack and drown.

I looked up at the moon and closed my eyes, wondering if this was all a mistake. Maybe we weren't ready. Maybe I was too paranoid. Maybe he was too possessive. Maybe neither of us were mature enough to have a relationship like this. It obviously wasn't normal circumstances, which makes it even worse. I didn't doubt my feelings for him. Not for one second. But I did doubt whether or not we could survive living like this.

When I saw the light of the boat skimming across the water I scurried out, grabbing my dress and heading towards my cabin. I heard them when they pulled up. I heard every single one of them except him. Did he even come back?

Oh God what if he didn't come back? What if he stayed with her? I ran to my window and looked outside, breathing a sigh of relief when I saw him. His hands were in his pockets as he shuffled towards the main house. He looked briefly over at my cabin before disappearing into the darkness.

I slipped my now soaking wet bra and underwear off, careful not to brush it against my fried skin. I pulled on a new pair of underwear but didn't bother with a shirt. I knew it would just scratch against me and make me crazy all night. I lay down on the cool sheets, turning on my stomach so the breeze could wash over my back. I curled my hands underneath me and hated myself for missing him right now.

I was just about to drift to sleep when I heard someone outside my cabin.

"Edward?" I whispered. I shot up, pulling the sheets tight to my naked chest.

"Bella it's me," Rosalie peeked her head inside. "Sorry," she shrugged. "I brought you some aloe."

"Oh. Thanks." I sighed and lay back down. She sat down on the edge of my bed and started rubbing the lotion over my back.

"Is he mad?" I mumbled into the pillow.

"He'll get over it. He's just having a tantrum."

"What if he doesn't?"

"He will. You know how he is."

"I wasn't….I mean nothing would have happened…with that guy. I was just so upset about that Maria girl I flipped out."

"I know. I think you both just need some time to cool off. Don't worry about it. It'll blow over."

"God I about shit myself when Alice confronted us," I laughed a little under my breath.

"Oh I know. I thought you were going to spill the beans and we'd have ourselves a real party." She finished with the lotion and set it beside my bed. "Do you need anything else?"

"No I'm alright. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she smiled. "Give him a day or two Bella." She nodded reassuringly and left.

A day or two. Easy for her to say. Might as well be a fucking eternity.

**A/N: Ugh. Their first real test and they both blow it. *sticks tongue out at Bella and Tennisward* Bad kids. **

**In case you missed it the EPOV outtake is up, under a new story titled Game, Set Match Outtakes. It was a lot of fun to write and everyone seems to love hearing what's inside Edward's head.**

**I'm doing a self-recc this week just because I miss CocWard. If you haven't read my story Code of Conduct yet go, go, go! I still read reviews for it and it's complete so you know you want to. *wink***

**And lastly another reminder to vote for Tennisward's theme song and send in those pics. I want some Tennisward action.  
**


	18. All or Nothing

When I opened my eyes the next morning Alice was sitting in a chair in front of me. Scared me shitless.

"Sorry." She shrugged. "I just needed to talk to you."

"Okay." I sat up and winced, starting to feel the burn on my skin again.

"I wanted to…apologize for what I said to you last night. For what I asked. I know that you're technically my employee but I consider you a friend and I trust you. I know how overprotective my brother can be with the women he's around and I overreacted."

"Thanks Alice." I ran my fingers through my hair, starting to feel even guiltier. She trusted me when I didn't deserve to be trusted. Edward and I were sneaking around behind her back and she was the one apologizing to me. It didn't make sense. That look in her eyes made me want to tell her everything. They were almost like truth serum. _Look away Bella. _

She finally jumped up and smiled. "We made some breakfast. Are you hungry?"

"Starving. You didn't ask me to help?"

"Well after the egg incident yesterday neither you or Edward is allowed near the stove. And I always thought he was a good cook."

"Okay I'll be up in a minute."

She left and I started to get dressed. I tried to cover myself up as much as possible. I didn't want to add anything to this bitch of a sunburn.

Everyone was already in the kitchen by time I got up there. Edward mumbled a hello, but refused to look at me. I sat next to Rose and kept sneaking glances at him. He stayed focused on his food.

When we finished breakfast they all wanted to go back down to the water again. I went down to my cabin to grab my camera. My plan for the day was to sit up on the shaded porch with a tall iced tea, taking pictures.

They all barreled out of the house, smiling at me as they passed. I noticed Edward was missing so I snuck inside and started towards his room. His door was closed so I knocked and peeked inside. He was sitting on his bed, rubbing some sunscreen on his arms.

"Bella you shouldn't be in here," he said softly.

"I just…" I stuttered. "I just thought we needed to talk."

"Not right now. I'm still pissed off and in no mood to talk to you." He stood up, brushing by me as he left the room.

I nodded into the empty room and followed him out.

The rest of the day I felt like I was looking in on a snow globe. Except it was sunny and full of sand. I hated sitting up on the porch by myself while they all had fun down in the water. Thank God I had my camera or I would have gone insane.

By Saturday my sunburn was feeling a lot better, but I was still sun shy. They all went down to the water everyday and I stayed up on the porch or got a little adventurous and ventured into the trees behind the house to take pictures. I wasn't sure when I'd be someplace so tropical again so I wanted to take advantage.

Edward was still throwing his tantrum and refused to talk to me more than a small greeting in the morning. We left tomorrow for the States and the next day we were off to New York again for the U.S. Open. I knew we had to fix this before then or it was going to be a disaster.

I tried the whole day to catch him alone, but it just never seemed to work out. As I watched the daylight fade I knew I was running out of time.

My fingers drummed idly on my desk as I sat in my cabin. This was ridiculous. I understand he wanted to have his little tantrum but he was on his way to a time out. A serious time out.

I sighed as the last bit of sunlight faded behind the water. Jasper was starting a small fire out on the sand. Alice and Rosalie ran out from the main house, laughing and talking. I had no idea where Mr. Grumpy Pants was, but I was fairly certain that Alice would drag him out there at some point.

I threw on a sweatshirt and started outside.

"Hey Bella." Emmett smiled as he rolled a couple of logs over by the fire. "Have a seat." He patted on one of them before taking a seat.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"We've got graham crackers, chocolate, marshmallows…." Rosalie started.

"And alcohol!" Alice squealed. She clearly hadn't waited for the rest of us to start drinking. It was hard to forget that Alice wasn't that much older than me with how she works, but it's times like these where I really appreciate her as a friend. Which makes the whole going behind her back thing worse. I'm going to hell.

She handed me the bottle and I took a long sip before handing it to Emmett.

"Where's Edward?" He asked, passing it back around to Rosalie.

"He's in one of his moods." Alice shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Well you know how he is," I added.

"No I'm sorry." Edward stepped out of the darkness towards the fire. "How am I?" He glared at me as he sat down beside Alice. She squealed and threw her arms around him, effectively getting me out of answering his question. If I had much more to drink it was going to turn into an episode of Jerry Springer right here on the beach. Except without the incest or nudity. Well at the very least not the incest.

Alice and Rosalie started roasting marshmallows. Edward started methodically digging his toes in the sand, stroking them back and forth as he stared into the fire. The bottle of liquor kept making the rounds, everyone taking a sip except for Edward. I was starting to feel a notch past buzzed by the time the girls had eaten their third s'more and even more pissed off that he refused to look at me. He fucking refused. There were no sly glances, no quick peeks at me. Nothing. He eventually grabbed a long stick and started poking around at the embers of the fire.

"I have….an idea!" Alice smiled. I felt like shit about everything that was going one with Edward, but drunken Alice always made me smile. She spoke like she was talking to a group of kindergartners about a project at school. I took off my sweatshirt and listened. "I propose a toast….to my big brother Edward." She turned towards him and slapped his chest. "Good luck next week. I love you." She grabbed the bottle and took a swig before passing it Rosalie. "You next."

Rose huffed at the idea but took the bottle anyway. "To Edward. Thanks for not being a total nightmare this year. Good luck." She smiled and took a drink. Emmett grabbed the bottle.

"To Edward. I know how hard you've worked this year bud. And I know in my heart that you're the man for this job. You can win it. Good luck." Emmett took a drink and handed it to me.

For the first time that night Edward looked at me, almost like he was mildly interested in what was going to come out of my mouth.

"To Edward…" I started. I already knew my brain filter was severely disabled at the moment, which could only mean bad things. Very, very bad things. But I couldn't do a damn thing to stop it. "Thank you for….fucking me over. Literally and figuratively. Good luck at the tournament." I glared at him as I took a sip out of the bottle. His eyes shot to Alice, who thankfully had passed out on Rose's shoulder as soon as she finished her speech. He turned back to me and his nostrils flared a little as he clenched his fists tight.

"Well it's been fun, but I think we should go to bed." Jasper stood and picked Alice up before starting towards the house. Emmett and Rose discreetly left a moment later, mumbling goodnight to the both of us.

Edward eventually got up. I thought he was going to head back to the house and poke little pins into the voodoo doll of me he probably has tucked away in his drawer. Instead he walked right past me and started towards the trees.

"Shit," I whispered. I probably shouldn't have said that. "Edward." I stood up and ran after him. He didn't stop, even though I knew he heard me. He acted like I didn't even exist. "Edward!" I yelled a little louder. I stepped into the dense trees trying to follow him. He was walking so fast he was only a small shadow in front of me in the distance. The trees finally cleared ahead of me just as I heard the soft sounds of water nearby.

When I finally reached the clearing I realized it was some kind of natural spring. I could see the steam rising off the water. Edward was discarding the last of his clothes as I approached.

"Edward!" I snapped. "I'm trying to fucking talk to you." He kept his back to me as he stepped down into the water and started wading across it. "Damnit!" I jumped into the hot water, wincing slightly at the remnants of my sunburn on my skin. I grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "I said I want to talk to you."

"You want to talk?" He snapped. "Okay I'll talk. I'm sorry that I'm a possessive asshole. And I'm sorry that you don't trust me. To be completely honest sometimes I don't fucking trust myself with not hurting you Bella, but I've been fighting tooth and nail to avoid that because I don't want to ever do something like that to you. I know I'm an asshole. I know that. And sometimes I don't even fucking understand why you're with me, but somehow you manage to…love me perfectly even when I don't deserve it. We have issues. We're not perfect. But I was willing to put that aside because I want to be with you…." He took a step closer to me and shook his head. "I want you Bella. All of you. And if you want to be with me then you have to want all of me too. The good and the bad. So what is it? All or nothing."

I took an unsteady step forward as I tried to process everything he'd said. "I…" I stuttered. "I want you," I breathed.

His shoulders heaved up and down as he closed the gap between us. He captured my mouth in his, fiercely moving his lips against mine. His arms snaked around my waist, finding their way between my drenched shirt and my skin. He pressed his hand firmly against my back, pushing me into him.

This was different than the last time. It was like all the tension of the past few days had erupted into something new. The soft tenderness from before was gone, a distant memory. This was frenzied, raw. And I'd never felt so alive.

He frantically pulled my shirt off and threw it into the darkness. I ran my tongue across his chest, desperate to taste more of him. He reached below the water and roughly grabbed onto my pants, pulling them and my underwear down in one quick movement. As his hands drifted back up my body they grasped onto my thighs and pulled me up. I wrapped my arms around his waist and twisted my fingers in his hair, pulling a little too hard as forced my lips back to his.

I whimpered into his mouth as he forced me down onto him, thrusting his hips up to meet me. I instantly started moving my hips against his, looking for the friction I craved with every ounce of my being. I arched into him and threw my head back, allowing him access to my breasts. He nipped at my sensitive skin before swirling his tongue across, sending shivers down my spine.

I could feel him everywhere. There wasn't one cell in my body that wasn't electrified by his touch. Not one ounce that didn't need him or want him.

He increased his pace, his animal-like grunts getting louder with each thrust. I bit down on my lip to stop myself from screaming.

"It's okay. No one can hear you baby. Scream for me." He breathed. He slammed into me again, hitting the right spot and I cried out. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned back, allowing my hair to skim across the top of the water.

"Fuck!" He groaned. "God you're beautiful."

I felt the waves we'd created washing over my stomach and my breasts as we moved. I pulled myself back up to him and let my lips linger over his, my tired breath stuttering between them.

He moaned underneath his breath and closed his eyes as his face contorted, sending his lips into a satisfied smirk. I dove down to his neck, nipping and sucking at his skin. He hissed as I took it between my teeth and bit down.

"Are you close?" He whispered, grasping his fingers tightly into the swell of my ass.

"I'm there," I breathed, scratching my nails down his back. We both cried out as we slid over the edge together. My hands floated lightly over his slick body as I collapsed onto his chest, desperate to stay as close to him as possible. I rested my forehead against his skin as he breathed heavily onto my hair, his fingers making soft circles on the small of my back.

We sat like that for a long time before he spoke. "I love you," he whispered. He brought his arms up around my shoulders and hugged me.

"I love you." I smiled into his chest. He kissed my neck and started moving us towards the edge of the water. I had a feeling my clothes were lost forever or at least until morning, but Edward's close were in a neat pile on the ground. He offered me his shirt as he pulled his pants on.

We walked back to the beach, our fingers entwined the whole way. He stopped in front of my cabin and I pulled him inside.

"You should take your shirt back…" I pulled it over my head and started towards my dresser so I could get some pajamas. When I turned around he was sitting on the bed.

"I don't want to go," he laughed under his breath. I smiled and crawled onto his lap. "I mean after everything we've been through already it just seems so stupid to have to sleep in separate houses."

I leaned down and pressed my lips against his. "You could stay."

He smiled and deepened the kiss, dipping his tongue into my mouth. "I could stay…" He mumbled.

"No…" I shook my head. "No you can't. Alice has a hangover recovery time of next to nothing. It's too dangerous."

"You're not making it sound any less appealing," he teased. "Dangerous. Forbidden. Risky…Just makes it sound hot."

"I guess you're right. Sorry." I started to get up but he pulled me back down.

"Wait," he said. "I do want to talk to you a minute before I go."

"Okay."

"I just want you to know that nothing happened with Maria. She was kind of my…go to girl when we came down here and I'm not proud to admit that but it's the truth. The reason I didn't call her was because I don't want her anymore okay? I'm sorry that I made you feel any different, but I had to act semi-normal in front of Alice."

"I understand. I just didn't realize it was going to be so hard." I ran my fingers through my hair. "I guess I just need to realize that it has to be this way for a little while longer, but I can't stop it from affecting me altogether." I shrugged. "And I'm sorry about the thing with Antonio. It was stupid of me to do that and I wouldn't have…" I shook my head. "I wouldn't have done anything."

"I know. I get it." He pressed his lips to mine. "I guess from now on we're just going to have to work on some things and make it through."

"Okay." I stood up and let him go. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He hesitantly slipped out the door and started back to the house. I sat by my window smiling as I watched him go.

It was going to be a rough few weeks. And even though I was so relieved to finally tell Alice about us, it scared the shit out of me. What if she fired me? Forbid me to see him? I mean we were technically adults so she couldn't force us not to be together. But she could make it a lot fucking harder than it should be. She was his agent and his sister. She pretty much owned his life. I wasn't asking for his entire life. I just wanted to be a part of it and I hoped to God she understood.

I woke up early the next morning and quickly went up to the house. Edward smiled at me as I walked in. He was wearing a turtleneck and a pair of board shorts as he sat at the bar eating a bowl of cereal.

"Why the hell are you wearing a turtleneck? It's like eighty degrees out." I laughed. I pulled myself up beside him.

"Because _someone,_" he leaned close. "Left marks all over my neck and back last night, love."

I blushed in embarrassment, remembering what we'd done. Or rather what I'd done. I'd gone all Catwoman on his back and now he had to sit in an invisible sauna dressed for a snowstorm.

"I'm sorry. Next time I'll make sure to mark you where no one can see." I reached over and grabbed his crotch. He jumped and dropped his spoon into his bowl.

"Good morning!" Alice jumped into the room and I instantly pulled my hand from his junk.

He narrowed his eyes at me and smirked as he went back to his cereal.

"Good morning Alice. How are you feeling today?" Edward said.

"I'm feeling well my dear brother. You seem to be in a better mood. Did someone finally release your dick from whatever vice it was in?" She poured herself some coffee.

"Yep. My dick feels good." He laughed. I blushed again and smacked him before she turned around.

"Good." Her eyes widened once she really looked at him. "What the fuck are you wearing?"

"I'm cold." He shrugged.

"You better not be getting sick." She narrowed her eyes at him and left the room. "We should probably head towards shore in about an hour so we can catch our flight." I heard her stomp up the stairs and close her door.

"You know you're really adorable when you blush." He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"Well I see you two have made up," Rosalie said, her voice flat. "Sorry if I don't sound enthused but I've got the hangover from hell and Emmett decided that my purse was the bathroom last night."

I scrunched up my nose just imagining it. She grabbed two cups of coffee and a few muffins before heading back out to their cabin.

I went back to pack up my things and met the group up at the main house about an hour later. The boys loaded our things into the boat as Alice locked up the house.

The ride back to the mainland was exciting. Emmett puked twice. Then Jasper puked from seeing Emmett puke. I had to keep my eyes straight ahead and plug my ears so I didn't hear it or see it. Just knowing that they were heaving their guts out made me gag.

Our flight got delayed so we were stuck in the airport for an extra two hours. Edward seemed thankful that no one recognized him. I think he was trying to usher out the vacation and get his focus back for next week.

We finally made it back to Washington later that night. We were leaving for the tournament the next day so I didn't have a lot of time to relax. I basically unpacked my shit, packed more shit and went to bed. Edward stayed at his place so he could have everything ready.

The vacation was clearly over when they picked me up the next morning. Alice and Rosalie were chatting quickly on their phones as Emmett and Edward went over strategies for his first match. From what I heard they thought he was going to coast through the first few rounds, but he didn't want to get overly confident.

They decided to take Edward's private jet this time, since we weren't sure exactly when we were coming back. I think we were all hoping we'd be a trophy heavy whenever that decided to happen.

I was still exhausted from traveling the day before, so I slept on Jasper's shoulder most the way while he hummed under his breath. Every now and then he'd whisper a few lyrics to the song before slipping back into the melody.

"Wake up Slobbering Beauty, we're here." Jasper shrugged his shoulders and I jumped up, wiping the spit from the side of my face.

"Sorry," I winced.

I heard Edward laugh from the seat behind us and kick my seat. I spun around in my seat and smiled.

"Watch out I might slobber on you next," I teased.

"I'd love it." He winked at me.

We were hounded from the moment we stepped into the airport. There were fans and paparazzi and newspapers, the whole enchilada. Jasper held tightly onto Alice and I as we brushed through the crowd. I kept looking back to make sure Edward was okay. He was a few steps behind me with his sunglasses pulled over his eyes. He smiled every now and again at the people as he passed but didn't stop for any pictures or autographs.

We all jumped into the car as the driver loaded our things. It was a huge ass van so we could all fit. I felt like I was in a fucked up version of the Brady Bunch. I headed straight for the back and Edward nonchalantly joined me, taking my hand as Alice dictated directions to the driver from the front seat.

After we arrived at the hotel, Edward left for an interview with ESPN while we stayed behind. Jasper stopped over to my room to talk.

"So you and Edward made up?" He asked, flipping through my Cosmo magazine.

"Yeah. It was stupid. We just need to get over all these little insecurities we have about each other and about ourselves. But we love each other so we'll work it out." I smiled and shrugged.

"Wait a hot second. Did you just say…the "l" word?" He whispered.

"Yeah. I did." I sat down beside him.

"Have you guys said it to each other?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "When we were in New York. When we…you know...the first time. He'd just got into the fight with his father and once we got back to the hotel he told me he loved me and I realized I felt the same way."

"Wow…" He muttered. "That's just…usually not like you. I mean it's not normal to fall in love like this Bella. Are you sure?"

"Yes. And even if we weren't in this situation I don't think that Edward and I would be a normal couple anyway. When did you and Alice say it?"

"A month."

"Ha. Well then we waited longer than you two. And don't give me all that 'meant for each other' with you and Alice. I know you guys have some freak connection, but that doesn't mean that Edward and I don't." I smiled and shook my head. "I never thought that this would be me, but it is. I'm in love with him. He makes me laugh, he understands me even when I don't fully understand myself. He has this way of….seeing right through me. And when he kisses me it's just…"

"Enough!" He held his hand up. "I don't want to hear about things like that."

"Well I've had to hear worse things from you and Alice so I guess it's a little payback."

"Meh."

"Hey Jasper…" I leaned close to him and smiled. "Edward and I had sex in a spring in the woods the last night we were there."

"Ahhh-lalalalala!" He plugged his ears and started screaming. It wasn't like I was always this forthcoming with information like this but I loved watching him squeal. I'm pretty sure he figured we were sleeping together anyway so it didn't hurt to rub it in his face.

Jasper eventually left and I ordered in some room service for dinner. I think everyone just wanted to go to bed. We were all experiencing a vacation hangover.

I watched television the rest of the night. Just before I went to bed I heard a knock at my door. I smiled when I saw Edward on the other side.

"Hey can I stay with you?" He whispered.

"Of course." I opened the door for him. He looked a little tense. His eyes darted back and forth around the room as I took his hand. "What's going on?"

"I'm just nervous about playing tomorrow."

I led him to my bed and sat down.

"Why? I mean are you always like this before a match?"

"A little. Not quite this bad. It was all the interviews today. They kept asking about my ankle and how it was going to affect my game. It isn't bothering me or anything, it just got me anxious." He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Come on. Lay down with me." I scooted us up the bed and rested my head on the pillow beside his. "Edward you are a good player. And you know, your ankle might bother you. It's just a simple fact. You're recovering from an injury. But that doesn't mean it should define you as a player this week." I took his face in my hands. "You want this. And you fight for what you want, got it?"

He nodded and leaned forward to kiss me.

"Okay let's go to bed." I turned over and switched the light off.

It didn't take long for sleep to overtake me, but just as I was about to fall asleep, Edward mumbled something under his breath. It was so low, I was surprised I heard it, but I did.

"Fight for what you want."

**A/N: Hmm...Wonder if this'll be the last test for them?**

**Some announcements:**

**The theme song poll will be up until a week from Friday. I'd like pictures to be in by then as well but just email me if you're working on a manip or something and we'll work it out. The poll is incredibly close and is actually tied as of press time so make sure to get your votes in.**

**Also the reason for the real marathon updating is because my wonderful mother is visiting me starting on Friday for a week and I honestly don't know if I'll be able to update at all so if I want to stay on schedule for wrapping up this story before I head back to school I've got to get quite a few chapters in before that. Remember I'm not writing insanely, just editing and doing slight adjustments. I like to stay a few chapters ahead so don't think I'm rushing with the chapters. I'm not, I promise.**

**Lastly I have created a Twilighted forum for this story. It's a nice place to connect with other GSMatchers and talk about the story. If you don't have an account, it's free and its really easy. The link is posted on my profile under the GSM section so check it out. : )**

**Thanks for the reviews everyone, you're already awfully close to another EPOV outtake ; )  
**


	19. Thank the Sparkly Pinecone

"Yes!" Edward screamed, fist pumping into the air as he walked back to the baseline. He was well on his way to winning his first round at the U.S. Open. I snapped a few pictures as he lifted his shirt up and wiped the sweat off his face. There was an audible gasp from the crowd when they saw his abs peek out from under his shirt. Yeah. Those are mine.

I smiled to myself as he bounced the ball, one, two, three, four times. He tossed the ball over his head and snapped his racquet. The ball flew in a yellow blur across the net, barely brushing the box on the other side. His opponent, some scrawny kid who was at his first U.S. Open, didn't even process the serve until it was too late.

"Ace," the announcer stated flatly. Edward smirked and turned around, scratching his nose as he made his way to the other side of the court. He served again, winning the point after three rallies.

"Game Mr. Cullen," the announcer said. "Set score is 5-2."

The games added up to seven. I hated seven right now. Whenever the games add up to an odd number they switch sides, which means every other time I'm farther away from Edward and don't get to ogle his ass. It's the best when he's receiving serves. He bends his knees and bounces on the balls of his feet waiting in anticipation. His ass is just sticking right out there, straining against his shorts. I think the last time he did it in front of me I actually moaned. The photographers around me looked at me like I was crazy. Like they weren't looking either. My man has a great ass and I would moan over it if I wanted to.

They took the shortest break as they switched sides, wiping off their racquet or catching a quick sip of water. I turned around and scanned for the group in the stands. I instantly spotted Jasper because he was making faces at me. I stuck my tongue back at him. Alice and Rosalie were whispering between themselves. Emmett was intensely focused on the game. You would have thought Edward was getting his butt kicked. I think Emmett got just as nervous as Edward did about his matches and all he had to do was sit in a chair. Tennis wasn't like basketball or football. It wasn't like your coach was right down there with you. They can train you all they want, but on match day it's all you.

The guy Edward was playing sucked at serving so he easily broke his serve the next game, winning the match. I clapped for him as he ran up to the net and gave the guy a pat on the back. Edward shook the refs hand and offered a wave to crowd, walking around the court and banging his hand against his racquet. He smiled towards our group and scratched his nose again.

I was really starting to like this whole secret communication thing. It was really sexy. I mean not the actual act of scratching his nose but it was nice that we could communicate like that in front of everyone. It was something different than we'd be able to experience in our relationship and even though it was something small and unnoticeable to anyone else, it meant a lot to me.

I packed up my things as the stadium started emptying out. Alice and the rest of them were waiting for me out in the lobby. We waited for Edward as he talked to a few reporters. He held up his finger as he passed us, indicating he'd just be a minute. I could imagine he wanted to take a quick shower before we went out to dinner.

I leaned back against the wall, leaning on one leg as I chatted with Rosalie. I smiled as soon as I saw him coming down the hallway. He made my heart race just by walking. In defense of my cardiac responses, he knew just how to walk down a hallway and look like sex on legs. It was almost like I was watching a movie in slow motion. He moved effortlessly across the floor, his hands raking through his still-damp hair. They stopped on the back of his neck when he saw me and he shook his head, almost concealing the sly smirk on his face.

"Hey!" Emmett yelled. "There he is!"

Everyone started screaming and offered Edward congratulations. He nodded and thanked them, his eyes briefly glancing behind them and flirting with mine. Those are sex eyes if I've ever seen them. He licked his lips and diverted his eyes back to the group.

"Let's go eat." He smiled and we all started out of the lobby.

Unfortunately Edward and I got separated at the restaurant and weren't able to accidentally sit by each other. In fact he was all the way down the fucking table from me and I hated it. Alice was jabbering away with Jasper and Emmett about this business trip she had coming up in the next month, trying to land Edward a spokesperson role for Hanes. Even if I didn't know how good he looked in a pair of them, I would gladly take him over Charlie Sheen or Michael Jordan for that matter. As much as I was looking forward to seeing the ads and commercials for those, I didn't want anyone else to see him like that. I would be perfectly fine if he shot a Hanes ad just for me. In fact I'd be happy to shoot it for him. Maybe later in my bedroom.

Halfway through the appetizers I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and smiled when I saw he was texting me.

**Hi beautiful.**

I peeked up at him and blushed. His jaw was rested on his hand as he chewed on his straw. He winked and smirked at me as I typed back.

**Hi. I wish I was sitting by you.**

He glanced down at his phone and started typing me back.

**Me too. I hate not being able to touch you. I'll make up for it later, don't worry.**

I shook my head as I read his text and sent a response back.

**Aren't you tired?**

He shook his head at me before he sent me one back.

**Please. He barely gave me a workout. **

We put our phones away as they brought our main dishes out. I talked with Alice a little more about her Hanes trip. She'd be gone for a whole week and as bad as it sounded I was ecstatic. That meant no sneaking around for seven whole days. I was almost tempted to rent a plane so they could fly around Seattle with a "Bella loves Edward" banner flying behind it, but I thought it might be a little too excessive and something like that might make the news.

My phone vibrated again as the waitress came around asking if we wanted dessert.

**You're looking a little tired. You should probably go back to your room. ; )**

"Bella we're going to go out after dessert, do you want to come with us?" Alice asked.

"Actually I'm kind of tired. I think I'm just going to go back and go to bed." I faked a yawn.

"I'll walk you." Edward instantly stood up.

"You're not going out Edward?" I asked, simply to amuse him.

"He's not allowed to even think about going out during tournaments," Emmett said.

"Oh I see. Well thanks for the offer Edward, that'd be great." I stood up and said goodbye to everyone. Jasper smiled and shook his head at me because he knew exactly what was going on.

As soon as we got out of the restaurant he grabbed my hand and ran the few blocks to the hotel. We rushed by the main desk and into the first open elevator. I smiled at him as the door closed and glanced at all of the mirrors around us.

"You like the mirrors?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Maybe…" I shrugged my shoulders.

He laughed and pulled my body flush against his. "I like mirrors," he whispered, ghosting his hand along my side. I spun around to face him and leaned up to press my lips to his. He groaned and whipped me around, pressing me up against the back of the elevator. I whimpered as he hitched my leg up around his hip, pressing his length firmly into the seam of my jeans.

"Already?" I whispered.

"Always for you." His lips skimmed across my jaw and down to my neck. The soft stubble on his chin tickled against my skin. "Are you ready for me?" He pushed his hips into mine again.

"Mmmhmm…" I nodded frantically, my eyes fluttering shut as he swirled his tongue across my shoulder.

We both sighed as the elevator door sounded again. There was no way we were already to the 14th floor so we must have company.

I opened my eyes as Edward distanced himself from me slightly.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I said in disbelief.

"Hello Bella." James smiled and nodded to me. "Cullen."

"Baxter." Edward actually smiled at him. It wasn't one of those friendly smiles. It was one of those "fuck you" smiles that made my panties pulverize instantly. Edward was so good at it he should become a new superhero called the Panty Pulverizer. I was fairly sure he could take out Spiderman and Superman, and Wonderwoman wasn't even an issue. She'd be shaking in her cute little boots with one look.

Edward spun me around and held me close to him, pressing my back roughly into his chest. He wrapped his arms around my waist and went back to nibbling on my neck. I cleared my throat and straightened up, wondering why he was acting this affectionate in front of the douchebag. It wasn't like I minded any. I guess I was just surprised. His hand dipped lower, making its way inside the pocket of my jeans.

He laughed under his breath and maneuvered his fingers to the corner of my pocket, brushing close to my center. James shifted uncomfortably beside us. I unconsciously bucked my hips forward so I could feel his fingers brush against me. _Dear Fashion God, thank you for creating deep pockets and having me wear these loose jeans today_.

Edward leaned down and started tugging at my ear with his teeth. He glanced pointedly at James like he was marking me as his. I leaned back, allowing my body to melt into him and forgetting that we weren't alone. This man owned me completely.

"You have no idea how bad I want to take you right here," he whispered a little too loudly in my ear. I smiled as his fingers worked their way against me.

The elevator came to a stop at our floor and Edward and I stepped out, completely ignoring James. I was pretty sure he was going to whack off to that later but oddly enough it didn't gross me out that much. That fucker was jealous and I loved every minute of it.

My room was the closest to the elevator so we hurried inside, locking the door behind us. I started seductively stripping my clothes off, twirling my shirt around my head as I spun around and ran towards the bedroom. I faceplanted right into the wall.

"Ouch! Fuck!" I grabbed at my face as the sharp pain shot through my nose.

"Babe there's a wall there." Edward rushed towards me, his shirt halfway over his head. "Shit." He pulled my hands back and I could feel the warm blood start to rush out of my nose. "Okay let's migrate to the bathroom." He pinched my nose, not caring that I was bleeding, and led us to the bathroom. He grabbed a few tissues and started cleaning up my mess of a face.

"Is it broken?" I asked.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Why?"

"Because I got clocked in the face with a tennis ball last year. If it's broken you're going to get two of the worst black eyes you'll ever see."

I groaned and waited for my nose to stop bleeding. I could tell Edward was trying not to laugh.

"Don't laugh at me ass!" I punched him in the chest.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled. "Do you pull this routine with all your boyfriends? Because the way your face smashed into that drywall? It was so sexy," he teased.

"I hate you." I crossed my arms in front of me.

He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Those are pretty earrings. Are they new?"

I looked down and shook my head. "No. They were my mom's. I don't wear them very often because I'm scared I'll lose them."

I tested my nose and was relieved that it stopped bleeding. I brushed my hair over my shoulders and turned to look at myself in the mirror. I took out the earrings and carefully put them in their case with my other jewelry.

Edward leaned down to kiss me as I passed him and started into the bedroom. I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled my legs up in front of me.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Why?"

"The earrings. I didn't know they were your mom's, I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't upset me." I smiled. "I just miss her that's all."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He sat down beside me and lay back. I fell back, allowing myself to mimic his position, placing my hands across my bare stomach.

"She was…amazing." I stared up at the ceiling. "You know the thing that I hate the most is what her illness took from her. She was so…full of life. Sometimes so much that it actually embarrassed me." I laughed. "When I first met Jasper she thought we were dating. One day he came over after school and there was a package of condoms just sitting on top of my bed with a red bow tied around them." Edward laced his fingers through mine. "And then this thing…this overwhelming evil just knocked everything out of her. She never wanted it to show, she never complained, never wanted to give up. But I think there was this point where she realized and accepted that it was going to kill her. She was never the same."

"How long…?" He whispered.

"Six months. They told her in July and she was gone right after Christmas. I went back to school at first, thought I could manage. But she just got so bad, so fast I took some time off. It was so…hard." My voice broke as I started thinking about seeing her like that, deteriorating right before my eyes. It broke my heart. "Jasper was amazing. He even took her to a few of her doctor's appointments when I couldn't make it. She was so strong and I was so weak. I felt so helpless."

"She was strong, but so are you baby. God look at everything you did. You gave up everything to look after her, you did it without that asshole father of yours. I bet she's so proud of you."

"You think?" I turned towards him and smiled.

"I do."

"Tell me about your mom." I snuggled closer to him.

"There isn't that much to tell I guess. I was only three when she died, I only really have one memory of her. She was pregnant with Alice and her belly was just huge." He laughed. "She was sitting in the rocking chair right next to the window and the sun was hitting her hair just….perfect."

I sat there and tried to imagine what she looked like. I saw a lot of his father in Edward, but I had a feeling he got his eyes and his hair from his mom.

"I don't remember what I was doing at the time, but I just remember her looking down at me and smiling. She said 'Come here Edward. I want to show you something.' So I stumbled over to her and she leaned over so her stomach was right at my level. And she told me to listen. I was a curious little shit so I was all over that and I could actually hear something moving around in her stomach. She told me it was my baby sister and I was a little freaked out at first but I just sat there listening to her. My mother eventually started humming and that's all I remember. She was just so excited about having Alice."

"I think we both got our strength from our mothers." I ran my fingers through his hair and felt incredibly sad for his mother. She seemed like a kind person and I couldn't imagine why Edward Sr. would choose his career over that. She must have been a strong woman to deal with that and basically raising a kid on her own. I couldn't even fathom her loss.

I shook all the sad thoughts away from my head. I didn't mean for the conversation to get so heavy but I guess it was a conversation we needed to have eventually. I glanced over at my chair and saw my camera sitting there.

"Hey, I want some pictures of us. You know, for after the big reveal." I stumbled over and grabbed it before crashing back down to the bed. Edward smiled and made a face as I snapped his picture. I laughed and straddled his lap so I could take a few more.

"You'd think you'd get tired of taking my picture," he laughed.

"Never. You're too damn beautiful for your own good. The camera loves you."

"I think the photographer is a little biased."

"She might be." I leaned down and kissed him, grabbing a picture of the two of us.

"My turn." He quickly snapped a picture of my cleavage and started dipping lower but I quickly covered myself up.

"Not fair."

"What?"

"I only took pictures of your face."

He turned the camera around on himself, focusing it down towards his chest and clicked. "There. Now you have porn material too."

"Ew."

"You know, this whole Bella porn thing is kind of hot. You should make me a calendar or something." He smiled and leaned down, nuzzling my hair. He raised his lips up to my cheek and gently pressed them against my skin as he snapped another picture.

"That's a keeper," I mumbled.

"My thoughts exactly." He kissed me again and moved until he was hovering over me. He gently set the camera down on the nightstand and picked up where he left off in the elevator.

I woke up to the sound of the television the next morning and stretched my arms above my head. Edward sat at the edge of the bed watching ESPN.

"Hey," I whispered.

"Hey. Sorry did I wake you?" He scooted back so he could lie next to me and turned up the volume.

"No it's okay. What time is it?"

"Almost noon. Alice has been calling me for the last hour."

"What did she want?"

"Apparently she went to my room looking for me."

"Well what did you tell her?"

"I went for a run." He shrugged.

"Edward I don't like that you're lying to her. That we're lying to her. It feels terrible."

"I know love. We'll tell her soon." He leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

"Do you have training today?"

"Yeah I should probably head out soon. I have a feeling Emmett won't hesitate to come looking for me when he realizes I'm not in my room."

"I could hold you captive if you want to get out of it." I snaked my arm up around his neck and kissed his chest.

"As tempting as that sounds I can't skip."

"I know, but it was a nice thought," I laughed.

"That it was." He kissed me again and jumped out of bed. I watched him as he walked around the room, picking up his clothes and putting them on.

I jumped as someone knocked on my door.

"Bella!" Alice yelled. She knocked again. "Nobody's seen you all day, I know you're in there and I'm not leaving."

"Shit." I scrambled out of bed and threw some clothes on. I debated the best place for him to hide. It was either under the bed, behind the curtain or in the freezer. I had a feeling the last option was probably a bad idea if he planned on thawing out before he had to practice.

"Get behind the curtain now!" I whispered as I walked over to the door. I cracked it open an inch and found Alice smiling at me.

"Hello!" She squealed.

"What's up?"

"Not much. What are you up to?" She pushed on the door and walked inside. I held my breath, my eyes quickly drifted over to the curtain I knew a certain boy was hiding behind. I cringed when I saw his feet sticking out at the bottom. Damn him and his Sasquatch feet.

"So what are you doing tod…." Alice's voice trailed off. "It smells like sex in here." She darted to the bedroom and looked around. "You had sex last night." She smirked and started back towards me. "Did you find a yummy tennis player to screw?"

"Yes." I stood tall. "Yes I did." She didn't want to know which one it was, but I wasn't lying. And it felt good.

"Oh you are my hero," she smirked. She looked around the room again as Edward peeked out from behind the curtain. I nodded frantically towards the door.

"Bella what are you doing?" Alice asked.

"Oh. I have a kink in my neck."

"I bet you do. So what are you doing today?" She sat down on the couch and crossed her legs. Edward quietly slipped out from behind the curtain and started tiptoeing along the wall behind it.

"Oh not much. What are you up to?"

"Jasper and I were going to go into the city I think. Were you going to go take some pictures?"

"No I don't think so. Not today. I think I have enough for practice." I tried not to watch as Edward crept towards the door. I held my breath as he reached for the door handle and just about fainted when it clicked loudly.

"What was that?" Alice started to turn her head towards the door and I thought for sure we were donezo. I didn't think it would hurt so I threw out the first thing that came into my head.

"I had a dream about a talking pinecone last night!" I yelled.

Edward and Alice's eyes both shot to me.

"Yeah…." I continued. "I mean I'm walking through this forest…" Edward started to turn the handle. "And it's this forest of….streamers! Just blowing all to hell." Edward slipped outside and quietly closed the door. "And all the sudden this sparkly pinecone just rolls up and starts talking to me about his sister in law and…."

"Bella?" Alice leaned forward and rubbed my arm. She was looking at me like I was crazy. Actually if I could physically look at myself I'd probably do the same thing. "I'm going to ask you something and I need you to be honest with me okay?"

"Okay?" I stuttered.

"Last night….you took drugs didn't you?" She nodded her head.

"No! Alice!" I shook my head.

"No it's okay. Everyone experiments. I think next time you'll make a better decision based on this reaction." She smiled and continued rubbing my arm. She thought I was coming down off of a bad trip.

"Alice I didn't. I promise."

"Okay." She smiled and nodded. She didn't believe one fucking word that was coming out of my mouth. "I'm going to give you some….time to wake up. If you want to go with us, just come on down."

"Okay Bob Barker."

She waved and left the room. Crisis avoided. I had no idea where the hell all that came from but I was ready to bow down to the sparkly pinecone for saving our asses. Hallelujah.

**A/N: I had a lot of fun with this chapter haha and don't ask me where I got the sparkly pinecone from. I just tried to think of the most random thing ever and that's what I came up with. **

**So I'm not sure if I'll be able to update before my mom comes tomorrow. It will all depend on when I get out of work so we'll see. I'll try.**

**Remember you only have a week from tomorrow to get your vote in for Tennisward's theme song and pictures. He wanted me to tell you he's a little sad that he's only gotten like five pictures. You're hurting his ego. We need to stroke the ego. Stroke. Send em in to mandyleigh010 gmail . com and remember they can be absolutely anything that reminds you of Tennisward. If I can figure out how to do video clips in videos I'll add some snippets of matches in but I'm not very tech wise when it comes to that and I've only ever done one with pictures. Meh. **

**Thanks for the reviews everyone. We're getting close to that 1500 mark so if you have any suggestions for the next outtake put it in your review. I'll put the poll up for that as soon as I take down the themesong one next Friday because I'm positive you'll either be there or close by then. Have a good weekend!  
**


	20. Break In

Edward struggled a little with his next match, but ended up making it through. Alice said that everyone wanted to get some food after Edward's press conference so I ran upstairs to drop my camera off and clean up a little bit. It was incredibly hot out today and I looked like the Queen of Frizz and Sweat right now.

I took a quick shower and sat down on the edge of my bed to watch television while I waited for them. Luckily Edward's press conference was still on.

"Well it was a tough match. I just have to keep my focus and uh…watch my volleys." He shook his head and glanced over to wear I usually stood during these things. He scratched his nose as he turned back to the camera as the screen faded back to the reporters.

"Other highlights from today's U.S. Open matches…Sharapova and Serena Williams advance. Black ousts Baxter to continue onto the next round. Stay tuned for more updates as we receive them." The reporter smiled and it went to commercial. Thank God Jacob kicked James's ass. Maybe we wouldn't be subjected to him anymore while we're here.

I watched highlights of the match for the next twenty minutes, counting three nosescratches. But in all fairness, it was only highlights.

Rose called me and said they were ready so I headed back downstairs to meet them.

We went to a nice deli for lunch and did a little shopping after, which the boys weren't particularly excited about. They eventually broke away to do their own thing.

Alice bought way too many clothes….again. I managed to avoid getting anything. That woman was going to bankrupt me if she kept dragging me on these shopping adventures.

"Let's go to a movie or something," Rose suggested. "I'm not ready to go back to the hotel and I'm sure the guys aren't there yet."

I shrugged. "I'm game. Alice?"

"Oooooh! That shirt is adorable!" She squealed.

I spun around and saw her face plastered to the window of another store.

"Just say no Alice." I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away. "We're going to a movie."

We tried to find the closest movie theater so Alice wouldn't have to pass by a lot of stores. Rose and I vetoed the romantic comedy, Alice vetoed the action movie so we were left with the latest shittastic horror flick.

"This was a bad idea…" Alice whispered as the eerie music started. She pulled her knees up onto her seat and cringed.

I screamed in terror the first time the ghost popped up. Rose was screaming at the main chick that she was a fucking idiot and Alice just hid behind her knees whispering how much she hated us.

By the time the movie was over I was so on edge, I jumped when Rose grabbed my shoulder.

"Ready?" She smiled nervously. She obviously thought I didn't see her biting her nails at the final scene. _Not scary my ass._

It was dark by the time we started back to the hotel. I texted Edward to see where they were and he said they were at a sport's bar watching baseball. They had to overdo the man time because of the chick things they were subjected to earlier.

I dropped a very nervous looking Alice and Rose off at their rooms and went to mine. My smile faded as soon as I saw my door. The deadbolt was pushed out, propping the door slightly open. I took a cautious step forward and looked down the hallway. Rose and Alice were already gone and I knew I'd locked my fucking door.

"Hello?" I pushed the door open and looked inside. Maybe Edward came back or something. I reached inside and flipped the light on.

The room was a complete mess. My clothes were everywhere, the couch was flipped over and it looked like all of the closets were open.

I hesitated and took a step inside. I instantly noticed my camera bag was gone, which meant my camera and all of the pictures I'd taken of Edward were gone. Even if I could find another camera, I don't know how many I'd be able to replace.

I continued into the bedroom and peered around into the bathroom.

"No," I choked. I ran into the bathroom and fell to the floor, where my jewelry bag lay open. It was completely empty. They took my mother's earrings.

"Bella?" Rose called. "What the hell happened in here?" I heard her cross through the living room and into the bedroom. "Shit."

"T-t-they took my camera. And my jewelry." I didn't realize I was shaking until I spoke.

She ran to the phone and dialed the front desk. "Yeah hi I'm in room 1487 and someone's broken in, can you call the police please? Thank you." She hung up and called Alice on her cell phone.

All I could do was stare down at my empty jewelry case. I shouldn't even have brought them, it was stupid. And now they were gone.

Alice barreled in a minute later and bent down beside me.

"Sweetie we can get you a new camera, it's okay." She rubbed my back as I wiped a tear away from my cheek. She led me out of the bathroom and we all waited out in the living room for the cops to show up.

They asked me when I'd left the room and if I was sure that I'd locked it. Then they took an inventory of everything I thought was missing so I described my camera, the bag and all of the jewelry. They started photographing the room and looking to see if the burglar left anything behind.

As soon as Alice left to go talk to the hotel manager I pulled out my phone and called Edward.

"Hello?" He laughed. I could hear a bunch of noise in the background so I figured they were still at the bar. I knew he wasn't drinking, but that didn't mean he'd be able to hear me any better.

"Edward," I whispered.

"Bella?" He yelled. "Hold on I can't hear you. Just a minute."

I waited a few moments while he made his way to someplace quieter. The loud sounds of the bar were replaced by toilets flushing in the background so I assumed he went in the bathroom.

"Hey what's up? Are you back at the hotel?" He asked.

"You need to come back," I mumbled.

"Baby what's wrong?" His voice turned serious. "What happened?"

"You just need to come back okay?" My voice cracked as I spoke.

"I don't understand. Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

Rosalie grabbed the phone from me.

"Edward….someone broke into her room. Took her camera and some other things, you guys need to come back now." She nodded and hung up. "They're the way."

Alice came back, toting the manager with her. The manager apologized profusely and offered me a new room. Rose declined her and said I could just stay with her and Emmett. They had a suite with a pull out couch in the living room. The manager and Alice started talking to the police as three pairs of footsteps bounded down the hallway.

"Bells?" Jasper was suddenly at my side and pulled me into his arms. "Are you okay?" I hugged him and looked over at Edward. He stood by the door, his fists clenched at his sides. I knew he wasn't upset with Jasper, he just wished he could be in his place right now.

"Emmett why don't we go get the room ready?" Rosalie tugged on Emmett's arm and left.

"Someone should help you get your things together," Jasper glanced at Edward.

"I can help," Edward said softly.

Jasper nodded and discreetly left the room, taking Alice and everyone with him. Alice was still yelling at the hotel manager so she hardly noticed. Edward closed the door softly behind them and locked it. I appreciated that they were all trying to give us some privacy.

He started towards me and I completely lost it as soon as he sat down beside me, my shoulders heaving as I sobbed.

"Sweetheart it's okay. I'll buy you a new camera tomorrow." He put his arm around my shoulders and kissed my forehead.

"They took my mom's earrings…" I stuttered.

"What?" He pulled back, his face turning serious. He jumped up from the couch and darted towards the door. I jumped up to follow him as he trotted after the few policemen who were still talking to Alice down the hallway.

"Edward?" Alice turned towards him, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"How are you going to get her shit back?" He asked.

"Sir, we'll do all we can but honestly we most likely won't recover the items. Even if we catch the guy he'll more than likely already sold them off," the officer nodded.

"That's…that's not good enough. What is it going to take? Can I pay something for more manpower or something? I'll pay for anything you need."

"Edward…" I lightly tugged on his arm. "It's okay." It wasn't okay, but I knew the reality of the situation. I was never going to see my earrings or my camera again.

"It's not okay Bella!" He said sternly. "Do you have security tapes? Did anybody see anything or anyone suspicious? Were there any other break-ins?"

"We do have a security tape that we'll be reviewing. As of right now we have no other problems. We'll keep you updated yeah?" The cop shook Alice's hand and offered me a sympathetic nod.

Edward stood for a long time after he left, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Bella do you need some help cleaning up or anything?" Alice asked.

"No Edward said he would help me." I wiped at my eyes. "I'm staying with Emmett and Rose so I'm just going to get some things together."

Alice glanced between Edward and I, almost on the verge of suspicious, but she didn't say anything. She just smiled and told me to let me know if I needed anything before returning to her room.

Edward and I walked in silence back to my room. He turned the couch back over and started picking up my clothes as I tidied things up in the bathroom. I found my duffel and packed in all my clothes that he'd folded and set on the edge of the bed.

When he was finished he sat in the chair and put his head in his hands.

"God…what if you had been here? What if they…." He shook his head.

I crouched down in front of him and wrapped my hands around his wrists. "But I wasn't."

He looked up at me, his eyes on the verge of tears as he took my face in his hands. "I can't even…if anyone hurt you I would kill them."

"Edward, don't say that." I shook my head.

He pressed his forehead to mine and sighed. "I'm so sorry about your earrings," he whispered.

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. "I love you."

"I love you."

I stood up and grabbed my bag. Edward led me out of my room and dropped me off at Emmett and Rose's. I probably could have just faked it and stayed with him instead, but it made me anxious right now. I was pretty sure Alice was a little confused after Edward's outburst earlier and I didn't want to push it.

Rose already had the pull-out couch ready for me. I quickly changed into my pajamas and checked the deadbolt about five times before I finally settled in. Rose said goodnight and closed their bedroom door, leaving me alone in the big dark living room.

I lay back and tried to relax, but my heart was beating a million miles a minute. I don't know if it was the movie from earlier or that fact that someone broke into my room, but every little noise I heard had me on edge. I was starting to wish I'd just stayed with Edward anyway. Maybe I could just sneak over there and be back in the morning.

I laid there for a long time trying to sleep but it was impossible. I turned on my side and stared into the darkness. My breath hitched in my throat, thinking I heard someone outside the door. I shot up and blinked, trying to decide if I was imagining it.

I wanted to scream when I heard a key being slid through the lock. It beeped twice and someone tried to push the door open, but got caught by the deadbolt. I told myself to run into Rose and Emmett's room, but I couldn't move. My eyes were fixed on the door as whoever it was tried again.

A moment later my phone vibrated next to me.

**I'm at the door. Unbolt the deadlock. **

I sighed in relief as I read over Edward's text. I jumped up and crept over the floor to let him in.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered, closing and deadbolting the door again.

"Rose had an extra key for their room sent up to me. I guess they figured it'd be a lot easier to explain me being in their room than you being in mine. And knowing her she probably has some secret key to mine or something."

"I'm so glad you're here. I couldn't sleep." I wrapped my arms around him as he led us back to the couch. He laid down and pulled me down to him, throwing the covers over both of us as I snuggled into his chest and instantly fell asleep.

I woke up late the next day and I realized I was alone on the couch. I sat up and smiled when I saw Edward sitting in the chair reading the newspaper. He was already dressed and looked like he'd showered.

"Where are Emmett and Rose?" I glanced over at their open bedroom door.

"They left about an hour ago." He looked up at me and smiled. "I got you something." He jumped up and walked over to me, carrying a large box in his hands. He set it down in front of me and waited.

"What is it?"

"Just open it."

I grabbed one end of the box and pulled it open, completely shocked by what was inside.

"Edward this camera is too expensive. This is nicer than my old one." I shook my head and examined the brand new camera in my hands. How he'd managed to find one that was still old fashioned film is beyond me.

"You deserve to have the best one. They said this was the best one. There's also some film, a carrying case and a neckstrap in there."

There was a knock on the door and Edward jumped up to answer it.

"What are you doing over here already?" Alice stepped inside and smiled.

"I just gave Bella her new camera."

"No fair you said you'd wait for me," she whined. "We went first thing this morning. The guy at the store said this was top notch."

"Thank you. You guys really didn't have to do this, it's too much," I said.

"It's a work expense, it's perfectly fine. You can't do your job without a camera now can you?" She turned to Edward. "You still don't play for another two days, don't you think you should be working out or something?" She poked his chest as he rolled his eyes. "Go, go!"

Edward waved at me and left. Alice sat down beside me and gave me a hug.

"Are you doing okay? You probably didn't sleep very well last night."

"Not at first, but I eventually got to sleep."

"Good. You should test out that new camera." She winked and left the room.

Rose and Emmett returned less than an hour later. Emmett left pretty quickly to go find Edward so they could train. I'd probably go in a little while so I can catch up on all the film I'd lost.

"So how'd you sleep?" Rose teased.

"You could have warned me. I thought the burglar was coming back for round 2." I chucked a pillow at her. She laughed and grabbed herself a bottle of water.

"Are you going to go take some pictures of him practicing?" She asked.

"Yeah in a little bit. Do you want to come?"

"Yeah I'll go. You're showering right?" She nodded to me.

"Yes I'm showering."

I eventually rolled out of bed and took said shower. When I got out Jasper was sitting on the couch, which was now converted back to its normal state.

"Hey."

"I got you something to make you feel better," he smiled and held out his hands.

"Not you too."

"It cost me like a dollar. Don't fuss."

I walked over and opened his hands.

"A sparkly pinecone?' I scowled at him. "Alice is in so much trouble."

"I'm sorry sweetheart she tells me pretty much everything," he smiled. I winced inside, knowing that it wasn't a two way street because of me. "So what was the real story?"

"Huh?"

"The tale of the sparkly pinecone."

"Oh. Edward was just getting ready to leave when she showed up and I had to come up with something so he could sneak out." I shrugged.

"Oh Swan," he laughed. "You are something else. You should have your own show or something."

I stuck my tongue at him as Rosalie walked back into the room. "You ready?" She asked.

I nodded and grabbed my new camera, feeling a little excited to try it out. Even though it was too expensive and even though I was still fucking depressed about the earrings, it did make me feel a little bit better.

Rose, Jasper and I made our way down to the courts and quickly found Edward and Emmett. They were practicing his backhands and barely noticed us sneaking inside.

I started down to the court as Jasper and Rose found some seats.

It took me a few minutes to find all the gadgets and gears on the new camera but once I found them I loved it. It had so many more features than my old one and the zoom was amazing. I took hundreds of pictures before I even realized it just because I wanted to try everything out.

Edward turned towards me and I made a point of scratching my nose. I know it was his thing, but I wanted to tell him that I was thinking of him too. Maybe I should get my own symbol. I could flip him off or something, throw Alice off the trail. We'd have to work on it later.

He smiled and started playing again. They started playing an actual game, warranting cheers and insults from the three of us. We weren't allowed to be that vocal during an actual match so we were going to take full advantage.

They finished a little after five and started back to the hotel to take a shower. We finally met back up with Alice, who was in a conference call all day working on the Hanes deal a little more.

We all went out to dinner, like usual, and retired back to our rooms afterward. I felt kind of bad intruding on them, but I sure as hell wasn't staying in my room.

Emmett left to run to the store and Edward said he'd be over in a little bit. Rosalie was in the shower when Edward opened the door, already wearing his pajamas and carrying a pillow. He was just about to close it when the door across opened and Alice stepped out.

"Edward? What are you doing?" She asked, eyeing the pillow in his hands.

"I….um…." He started.

"We're having a slumber party," Emmett announced, brushing by him with bags in his hands. "Are you coming?"

"Of course!" She jumped up and down. "Let me get my things and tell Jasper." She disappeared back into their room.

"Thanks man, I completely blanked." Edward slapped Emmett on the back as he stepped inside.

"Don't thank me yet," he said.

"Why?"

"Because now we have to have a slumber party."

Alice and Jasper quickly joined us, bringing all their blankets and pillows with them.

Rosalie came out of the bathroom in the middle of us building forts and asked us what the hell we were doing. I was perfectly content acting like a 10 year old sometimes and honestly my and Alice's fort kicked the boy's fort's ass.

I settled my pillow and blanket along the edge closest to the boy's fort and laid down. Rosalie grabbed us some candy and drinks while the boys did whatever they were doing in their fort.

I cringed when I heard one of them burp. I knew it was a mistake to be in the same room. I wouldn't be surprised if they introduced other bodily functions into the mix. Two other burps quickly followed and then they all started laughing.

I shook my head and turned towards Rosalie. Alice smiled and patted her chest before letting out the loudest burp I've ever heard in my life. I was surprised she didn't break the fucking windows out. There was silence in the other fort.

"Who the fuck was that?" Emmett asked.

"That would be the little one," I said.

"Alice you're such a guy. She brings it better than you do Cullen," Emmett laughed.

_Oh shit. _Now he's turned it into some kind of contest when he knows how competitive Edward is.

"If I hear one more noise coming out of you three other than speaking I will pound you," Rosalie said.

Alice giggled and nudged me with her shoulder. "Okay so who is on the top of your list?"

"I don't have one," I shrugged.

"Come on. Everyone has a celebrity to-do list. That one person you'd drop your panties for if they looked your way?"

Too bad I was already doing the top person on my list.

"We don't like this conversation!" Jasper yelled from the other fort.

"I'm sorry we had to listen to you rating celebrities' boobs earlier, how is this any worse?" Alice yelled.

"Okay, okay….I guess maybe…Johnny Depp." I just picked the first name that came to mind. Not that I would pass on him if I got the chance, but I was completely taken. Completely.

"Really?" Edward asked.

"Yes, really."

"So we've got Robert Downey Jr. for Alice, Vin Diesel for Rosalie, and Johnny Depp for you. Interesting." I could imagine the smirk on his face right now.

Everyone eventually started passing out one by one. I thought for sure I was the last one awake until he whispered my name.

"Bella? Are you awake?" I heard him pull up the sheet on the side of their fort. I smiled and did the same, just enough to peek my head out.

"Hi," I whispered. I reached my hand out for his, meeting in the middle.

"Hello love," he said in his best pirate accent. "My name is Captain Jack Sparrow….savvy?" He wagged his eyebrows.

I laughed into my pillow and shook my head. "I didn't know what to say."

"Well I guess if you had to pick someone I'm okay with him. I mean I get it, he's hot right?"

"Very." I nodded.

He started rubbing soft circles on the palm of my hand, almost lulling me to sleep. I fought to keep my eyes open.

"Are you nervous about your next match?" I yawned.

"Fucking terrified. It's Federer. He's like the Zeus of tennis right now."

"Well I believe in you. And even the gods have a weakness. He can't win all the time and my dear I think it might be your turn."

"Thanks."

"You know I always heard if you visualize the outcome you want it makes it more likely to happen. So close your eyes and imagine." I smiled as he followed my directions. I closed my eyes and saw it right along with him as I drifted off to sleep. "It's seven days from now…you've beaten Federer and whoever else you have to play to get there…your friends and family are in the stands…I'm taking beautiful pictures of you….and you're getting ready to win the championship."

**A/N: Bahah I love slumber parties! **

**And how creepy about the break in? *ponders if there's something more to it***

**Tennisward is no longer sad about the lack of pictures because Mssammydean took care of him. He sends dirty whispers to you in gratitude. **

**The Momma countdown is on so I shall see you guys next week : ) Remember to review and retweet! I'm already anxious to write another outtake.  
**


	21. US Open

It was seven days later. He'd beaten Federer, kicked his ass actually. Carlisle and Esme sat in the stands with the rest of the group. I was taking some beautiful pictures of Edward as he warmed up. And he was getting ready to win the U.S. Open Championship. I was a proud motherfucker.

I smiled at Edward as he paced back and forth by his bench. I could tell he was nervous as shit. This was the farthest he'd ever made it in a tournament and this was a pretty big one. I mean you basically had Wimbledon and the Australian, French and U.S. Opens. Those were the ones that mattered. And one of those had already been violently ripped away from him so I wanted this for him. I wanted this for him so badly that I was shaking as I tried to take his picture.

I glanced up at the clouds towering over us and hoped the rain would hold off. He was anxious enough without having to deal with shitty weather drawing out the match.

I watched as he pulled a small piece of paper from his racquet bag. He smiled a little as he read it and briefly glanced my way. I'd written it this morning and asked Emmett to slip it in there before the match. I told him that I loved him and that he was destined for greatness. He shook his head at the recycled Shakespeare idea, but I didn't care. I've never met someone who really made me believe in that. I knew that Edward was truly destined for greatness and I wanted to make sure he knew it too.

The referee said something to Edward and his opponent and they shook each other's hand before retreating to their sides.

"Mr. Roddick will serve first," the announcer said. Andy Roddick. I'd learned a lot about him since that charity tournament, Serves like a motherfucker and was hot as hell. Had this long running tradition of meeting Federer in competition and rarely ever pulling out the win. And Edward kicked Federer's ass. I thought back to any logic problem I had back in high school and determined that Edward should in fact win if things worked the way they were supposed to. Of course they never did.

Edward had some problems adjusting to Roddick's serving. I could imagine it was pretty close to receiving one of his serves, since people often compared the two. He went the entire first game without even hitting a ball. He ended up winning his serve and eventually adjusted to receiving them as well. The first set ended in a tiebreaker, which was something Edward hadn't gotten around to explaining to me yet. I couldn't imagine they were that common. I'd only seen one other one and was too confused to even contemplate figuring it out.

They made it through four sets, tied at two a piece, before the rain started coming down. Everyone in the audience reached for ponchos or just gave up and left the courts. It eventually started raining so hard that they recessed the game until it let up and the court could dry off a little.

Edward and Andy grabbed their things and retired back to their individual locker rooms. Emmett was allowed to go back and talk to him during the break, but the rest of us just stood around out of the rain while we waited.

"Hey Alice," I asked. "What's a tiebreaker?"

"Oh." She put her phone away and turned towards me. "So usually during a set you have to win by two games right….like 6-4 or 7-5. But if a 6-6 tie happens they do a tiebreaker, which is kind of like a mini game. And that's the only time you can win a set 7-6. It's kind of complicated."

"Yeah I guess so. Sorry I asked." I smiled. I was about to say something else, but the sound of Edward's name caught my ear.

"We're still working through a rain delay at the men's final of the U.S. Open between Andy Roddick and Edward Cullen. Right now they're tied at two sets a piece and are set to start the fifth and deciding set. Each man has looked relatively solid, except for a minor hiccup by Cullen in the first set. Seems to be at least keeping his temper in check, which is surprising," he laughed.

_Who is this fucker?_

I turned towards him and realized he looked vaguely familiar. He had graying hair so I knew he wasn't a current player, but definitely someone I'd run into along my tennis learning adventures. I couldn't quite place my finger on it.

"John McEnroe," Rosalie said, leaning in close to me.

_Seriously?_ He's the one who had all those anger problems when he played and now he's making a joke about Edward. Before I knew it my feet were walking towards him, completely oblivious to the camera he was speaking into.

"Excuse me?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Miss I'm doing a live broadcast right now."

"I'm sorry but did I just hear you ragging on Edward Cullen for his temperament?"

"And you are?"

The camera shifted to me and I started feeling really self-conscious. "A fan."

"Well…fan…its no secret that Edward has shown attitude problems in his past games." He fidgeted anxiously and I could tell he was starting to get pissed that I'd called him out on live television.

"I could say the same about you. You pretty much invented the bad attitude," I snapped. "What just because he's a better player than you ever were you think you can just be a hypocritical asshole about it? Well fuck you John McEnroe." _Shit. _I just said "fuck" on live television. This network was about to have fines up the ass.

I turned around and walked away, feeling completely embarrassed. I don't know what happened but he pissed me off. Stupid…little…angry man.

I rejoined the group who had all stopped talking and were staring at me with wide-eyes.

"Bells," Jasper laughed. "You were such a dick!" He laughed again and high-fived me.

We waited a solid hour and a half before the match started back up.

Edward and Andy took a little time to warm up again before restarting play.

They fought back and forth the entire set and I could tell Edward was getting frustrated with his playing. He knew he could beat this guy and he was working twice as hard as he should have to. And if I thought I was nervous before the match started, that was nothing compared to now. I had to clench my jaw so I wouldn't start gnawing my fingers off.

Edward was ahead 6-5. If he could win this next service game he'd have it and it would all be over. But that was way easier said than done. This match had lasted over six hours, with them actually playing for about four. I can't even imagine standing that long, let alone running across a court.

"Deuce," the announcer said. Now that one I knew. Just like with the sets, you had to win games by two points. When they tied at 40-40, it was called deuce, just because they like to confuse the fuck out of people and have two names for it. Then there's something like ad-ins, ad-outs, ad-whatevers and then you win.

Edward took a deep breath and stepped up to the baseline. He wiped a line of sweat from his forehead before he did his serving routine. The ball flew across the court, landing right on the centerline. Roddick lunged for it and hit it back. They rallied back and forth several times until one of Roddick's forehands drifted into the net.

My breath hitched in my throat as I captured a picture of Edward's face. This was it. He was one point away from winning the U.S. Open.

"Match point," the announcer said.

Edward's eyes flickered to mine for the shortest moment before he stepped up to the baseline. He took a deep breath, his shoulders heaving up and down. I almost couldn't watch. It was like the other night at the horror flick. I knew something big was coming and I never wanted to watch it, but I always did.

Edward threw his toss up and snapped down on it. It shot right into the net and I let out the breath I'd been holding. He looked back at me and I nodded slightly. _Come on baby, you can do this._

I brought my camera in front of my face, ready to capture the moment. His serve went straight into the net again and we were back to deuce. In fact they went back and forth to deuce four times before Edward had a match point again.

My hand was clutched so tight around my camera, I thought they were going to have to buy me another new one. Edward threw his serve up and it made it over this time, thankfully. Roddick shot the ball back over to his backhand and I winced as Edward struggled to return it. Edward rushed up to the net, ready to volley over Roddick's next hit. The ball flew right into Edward's racquet; he didn't even have to do much except angle it the way he wanted. It sliced to the side, barely brushing along the line of white and bounced on completely untouched.

"Oh my God," I whispered, a smile spreading across my face. Everything started happening in slow motion. I barely registered the cheers of the crowd around me, they were merely muffled sounds. Edward's racquet dropped to the court as he slowly turned around, running his fingers through his hair. I don't think I've ever seen him smile so big in his life.

He titled his face upward and closed his eyes as he dropped to his knees, clenching his fists tight at his sides. He opened his eyes again and I knew he was talking to his mother. Edward had never talked much about heaven or whether he believed in God or not, but it was too obvious in that moment to be blind to it.

I held in my tears as I kept snapping pictures. These right here? These were the moments a photographer lived for. And these were the moments I lived for with him.

He jumped up and started screaming, waving his arms in the air. He started towards me, looking like he was going to wrap me up in a huge hug. I knew it'd be more than a tip-off if I was the first one he ran to at a moment like this, but I almost wished he would. I wanted to be that person for him and even knowing that he wanted to show that kind of gesture made me realize just how deep our relationship truly was.

He quickly caught himself and offered me an apologetic smile as he darted past me and scaled the railing, quickly running to find his family. I wasn't angry, I completely understood. I turned around just in time to see Alice jump up into his arms and wrap her legs around him. Esme leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Carlisle patted his back. He let go of Alice and moved onto Emmett, who looked like he was crying tears of joy. They had a private moment before Edward made his way back down to the court.

He picked up his racquet and showed some love to the crowd as a man dressed in a suit made his way out onto the court. He held a microphone and a big shiny object in his hands.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you so much for attending this year's U.S. Open and I would like to congratulate all of our athletes on their success." He turned towards Andy and shook his hand. "Congratulations on your achievements, you two gave us a heck of a match." He smiled and turned towards Edward, who was staring at me with a silly grin on his face. "This year's winner of the Men's U.S. Open….Edward Cullen!"

The crowd erupted again as the man handed Edward his trophy. Edward proudly displayed it to the crowd and started posing for pictures. I sat and watched for a while, soaking it all in before I started packing up my stuff. I met up with Alice and the rest of the group. She showed her pass to the security guy and he let us back into Edward's locker room, where the champagne was already waiting.

It took forever before Edward even made his way to the locker room, but we were all too ecstatic to care. We all started screaming as soon as he opened the door. Emmett popped the champagne and handed everyone a glass. It was a flurry of conversation and smiles and just…fucking happy.

After a while of celebrating everyone started dispersing, wanting to give Edward some time to clean up. Rosalie was the last one in the room with Edward and me. He still stood feet away from me, trying to keep up appearances.

"Edward. You just won the U.S. Open. Go hug your girlfriend ass." She laughed and slipped outside of the room.

Edward smiled and sauntered over to me. "I haven't showered yet, you probably don't want…."

I cut him off by throwing my arms around him. I honestly didn't care.

He laughed and picked me up so my feet were dangling above the ground.

"I wanted to go to you so bad. You were the first person I wanted to…"

"I know," I whispered. I kissed his neck. "I understand, I know."

He started rocking us back and forth and I started feeling the tears slip down my face.

"Why are you crying?" He sniffed.

"Why are you?" I laughed through my tears. "I'm just so proud of you."

He sighed and smiled into my neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

We held each other for as long as we could before Rosalie came knocking on the door. Edward had a press conference to get to so he had to shower. I gave him a quick kiss and stepped outside. Rosalie and I made our way through the crowds and she dropped me off in my usual spot while she waited beside the stage. Edward appeared eventually with Alice and they all walked on together. I didn't bother taking pictures at this one. I just wanted to be a girlfriend who was happy for the man she loved. That's it.

He was completely grateful throughout his whole statement, thanking his friends and family for all their support and congratulating the other players. He finished up fairly quickly and took a few questions from the crowd.

Alice pulled me aside after it was finished and told me that I could have the next few days off. She just figured I'd have a lot of pictures to develop and she was completely right. Even with that rat bastard, whoever he was, taking all my film I'd still taken a lot of pictures. She said Edward would just be doing a whirlwind of interviews probably for the next week. They were already scheduled to hit L.A. and Chicago for talk shows before coming back to Seattle.

We all headed back to the hotel and I started packing up our things. We were heading back in the morning and the rest of them would be filtering back over the course of the week.

Edward snuck over to stay with me again, but he fell right to sleep. I could imagine he was probably exhausted. I wasn't quite tired yet but I was almost thankful that he was because there were few things I loved more than watching Edward sleep.

I turned towards him and traced my finger down his jaw, smiling to myself at how beautiful he was. I couldn't fathom why he loved me like he did, it didn't make sense. I never thought when I took this job that I would ever end up here. Even after meeting him I couldn't have imagined it. He was cocky, arrogant, a complete asshole. And he was still all those things, but he was so much more. So much more than he lets people see and I wish he wouldn't keep that part so hidden. I want people to see him like I do. Imperfectly perfect.

I left Edward sleeping on the pull out the next morning, knowing that he probably wanted to sleep in. I kissed his cheek and left him a note before grabbing my bag and slipping out. I met Jasper down in the lobby and we took a cab to the airport.

Once we got back in Seattle I spent my time either developing pictures of Edward, talking to Edward, or watching Edward talk on television shows. And when one of the first two interrupted the latter, I TiVo'ed the shit out of it.

I started getting a little antsy when the fifth day rolled around. I loved talking to him, but I missed his presence. It just wasn't the same and I couldn't wait for him to get back. He didn't technically know when that would be but I was fairly sure it was soon. And another good thing about him coming back is that we could discuss the Alice situation a little more. He said we'd tell her after the U.S. Open. I wasn't going to push him to do it right away necessarily; I didn't want to be a downer on his win. But it needed to happen soon.

"Jazz, I'm heading up to the darkroom." I waved to him as he sat on the couch.

"Okay."

I closed the door behind me and headed up the stairs. I sighed when I stepped inside the darkroom. There were lines and lines of pictures of Edward. There were so many I could probably make a fucking wallpaper out of it and redo our entire apartment. I had a feeling Jasper wouldn't be very excited about having Edward wallpaper so I let that idea go.

I pulled out some more of the undeveloped film and started the process all over again. I think these were just some from one of the press conferences, but you never know what you might stumble upon. Those were almost my favorite kinds of pictures. The ones where you think it's going to be something boring and mundane, but you end up catching that moment. That one moment where something ordinary becomes extraordinary. And with Edward anything is possible.

A knock on the door made me jump and almost spill my developing solution all over. I turned my head to make sure the curtain was still in place. It was something I had Jasper help me put up when I first started developing pictures up here. There weren't many people that know about it, but light can be brutal to the pictures when you're developing them so I didn't want any accidents. The curtain was good enough that it blocked out almost all the light that would filter through when the door was opened, just in case.

"Come in," I called, assuming it was Jasper.

I heard the door creak open and close as someone moved behind the curtain. I closed the cap on my developing solution and turned to greet him.

"Edward?" I squinted into the red tinted room.

"Uh…Jasper told me you were up here. I hope its okay." He shrugged.

"No it's more than okay. I'm so happy you're here, I didn't know you were coming back today." I took the few steps to him and brushed my lips against his. "How did everything go?" I turned back to my table and kept working.

"Good. I'm happy to be home though."

"I bet." I started developing some of the pictures as Edward scanned the lines of him hanging above. I knew he couldn't see them very well with the lighting, but he got the idea. He leaned up against the wall and ran his finger along his lip as he looked around.

I blushed as I felt his eyes on me and he smirked.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't know. I'm kind of turned on watching you do this."

I sighed and laughed under my breath as I hung up one of the pictures. I turned back and he was suddenly behind me.

"You think it's funny?" He brushed my hair over my shoulder and I shuddered. "I can only imagine taking you on this table." He ran his fingers along the edge of the table and over my hips. Well now that he put it that way, I was right there with him. "Maybe from behind." He brushed his hands over my ass and squeezed.

My body melted back into him as I closed my eyes. I never knew developing pictures could be so sexy. I turned my face towards him, my lips blindly searching for his.

He captured my mouth in his, groaning against my lips. His hands drifted up my stomach and grazed over my breasts before he started fingering my tank top straps. He pushed them down, taking my bra straps with them, all the way to my stomach. I gasped, feeling my chest completely exposed.

"God I want you." He ground his hips into my ass. "Can I fuck you?" He asked, his breath ragged. I bit down on his bottom lip as he started to pull away.

I reached down and grabbed the crotch of his pants.

He growled and reached around to unbutton my pants and shove them down to my ankles. I whimpered as he pushed me down on the table, leaving me completely vulnerable to him bent over the table.

I screamed out as he entered me roughly, grabbing the opposite edge of the table for support as he started slamming into me. The table started rocking back and forth, creaking with his movements.

"Shit," I breathed, cringing in pleasure as he hit spots he never had before. It was so intense I could feel it in my fingertips, which were holding on with everything they had.

His palm was flat against my back, keeping me flush against the cool metal table. It was an amazing contrast to the heat that was starting to spread through my entire body.

"Fuck!" He hissed. "You have no idea how good this feels."

"Harder," I whispered, allowing my eyes to flutter shut. I licked my lips and pushing my hips back to meet him.

He surprised me when he grabbed my thigh and turned me over completely so I was on my back. I whimpered, smiling to myself when I felt him twist inside me as I moved. He kept one leg hitched up around his hip and started massaging my breasts. As much as I loved the feeling before, I liked seeing his face better. He was biting down on his bottom lip hard, concentrating with everything he had. I curled my leg around to his ass and pushed him closer.

"I'm gonna…" He hissed, thrusting once more before slamming his hands down on the table beside my body. He slowed his movements and brought his hand down to palm my center, working his fingers there.

He was still riding out his release when I found mine, screaming so loud my throat burned. I reached for Edward and found my hands knotted in his hair as I pulled him towards me. He kissed me slowly, allowing his tongue to explore mine.

"That was…" he started.

"Fucking amazing. Or amazing fucking. Either way it was hot," I breathed, finishing his sentence for him.

"My thoughts exactly." He smiled and kissed me again. "I hope we didn't ruin your pictures."

"It was just a roll of press conference stuff. It's okay." I sighed and relished a few more moments with him before I stood up. I looked back at the table and laughed, seeing a clear imprint of my body on the shiny metal surface in sweat.

I pulled my pants back on as he got dressed.

"I don't think I'm ever going to look at this room the same," I laughed, grabbing his hand and starting for the door. In fact I might have to relocate the little underwear drawer friend up here because there's no way I'm going to forget that anytime soon.

**A/N: Did you think we'd go the whole story without some darkroom sexin? Nah ; )**

**Reminder to send in pics and votes. Also if you're a good photoshopper and want to spend some time with Tennisward I have a few jobs available. **

**Thanks : )  
**


	22. Dance, Dance

I was fucking nervous. Edward and I sat in my living room staring down at his phone. We figured it might be better to tell her when she wasn't physically in the room with us so it would at least give us some time to run away if need be. He dialed her number, pressed speakerphone and set the phone back down on the table.

"You ready?" He asked, grabbing my hand.

"No." I sighed and started bouncing my leg in anticipation.

"Hello?" Alice answered. She sounded winded and I could hear a lot of noise in the background.

"Alice. I have something I need to tell you okay? And you're not going to like it, but I just need you to understand its what I want so please just listen." Edward took a deep breath and glanced my way.

"Edward, wait I can't hear you. I'm at the airport. Hanes called and I'm on my way to New York, they needed me earlier so I'll be gone for about two weeks sealing this deal. Remember you have that Charity Dance Off tomorrow night and the Gala on the fifteenth. My flight's boarding I have to go. Bye." She hung up before he could get another word in.

I knew we couldn't tell her until she got back now, but I seriously contemplated the pros to telling her while she was in New York. It greatly increased my chances of not being strangled, unless she had a Go-Go-Gadget arm hidden somewhere underneath her designer shirts.

"I'm sorry Bella, I didn't…" He shook his head.

"It's okay. We'll just tell her as soon as she gets back. Heck we can pick her up at the airport and take her out to dinner or something okay? No worries." I smiled reassuringly. "So what is this Charity Dance Off that you've never told me about?"

"I didn't tell you because it's embarrassing and I was hoping you'd never have to know about it. They recruit celebrities and athletes and stuff to come up with a short dance and then all the people in the audience vote for their favorite by donating money to their jar. All the proceeds go to charity." He shrugged.

"Oh you know I'm coming to this right?" I laughed. I couldn't even imagine him doing that. I'd have to tell Jasper.

"Not if I don't tell you where it is," he teased.

"Rose will tell me." I shrugged, knowing that I won. There was no way I was missing this. "So what are you dancing to? Is it all choreographed and stuff or are you just going to wing it?"

"I plead the fifth."

"Come on…"

He shook his head.

"Fine. But I'll be there, you can bet on it."

Jasper walked out of his room, running his fingers through his hair after his nap.

"Edward's dancing in a charity event tomorrow, you want to go?" I asked. Edward rolled his eyes.

"Absolutely," Jasper said. "So Edward are you going more for Chippendales or Lord of the Dance?"

"You know what? Fuck both of you. I'm leaving." He smiled and kissed me as Jasper and I started laughing.

"See you tomorrow Tiny Dancer!" Jasper yelled.

Jasper and I were buzzing with excitement the entire next day. I'd called Rose to get directions and she said they were going around seven. The event started at seven-thirty but she wasn't sure when Edward was up.

Jasper offered to take me out to dinner before and I was never one to resist free food.

"So I heard you talking to Alice earlier….or trying to talk to Alice?" He said, munching on some French fries.

"Yeah we were going to tell her, but it obviously wasn't the best time since she was on her way to New York."

"Yeah she called me just before you talked to her. So you're going to tell her huh?"

I nodded. "We were just waiting for the right time. Do you think she's going to freak?"

"Honestly, she's probably not going to be happy. She's always been adamant about Edward not having any distractions. And Bells I know she likes you, I know that she does so if she does freak out its not because she doesn't… She's probably going to feel a little betrayed so you just have to be prepared for that. I'll help as much as I can, but I don't know how she'll take it."

I smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

He paid our bill and we took a cab to the event. It was a little more low profile than the others we'd been to. You just had to pay a small entrance fee and it was at a smaller club across town. I was a little surprised since there were some pretty big stars there. I was starting to get a little more numb to seeing people like that around more, but I don't think you could ever fully avoid being starstruck. Two words: Gerard. Butler.

Rose and Emmett were at a table right in front of the stage and waved us over. Jasper pulled my seat out for me and sat down beside me. Rose handed me a program and I scanned the list looking for Edward's name. He was dead last, which made me a little sad I was going to have to wait for so long.

I kept getting more and more anxious with each performer as I waited for Edward. I don't think I was ready to believe that he was actually doing this until I saw it with my own two eyes.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, we have our last dancer for the evening. After the performance remember to vote for your favorite by placing your money in the appropriate box at the back and we'll announce the winner at ten."

I held my breath as the lights dimmed and the music started. Jasper laughed beside me as Run DMC started blaring over the speakers. I saw someone step on stage and the lights flew up.

Edward stood on stage with dark-rimmed nerd glasses, hammer pants and suspenders with his arms crossed. I buried my head in my hands and started laughing hysterically before he even started dancing.

When I looked up he was moving around on the stage, crossing his legs and spinning around. I lost it again when he started doing the Roger Rabbit across the stage. My eyes started tearing up, my stomach burning in hysterical pain when he leaned down and winked at me, pushing his glasses up on his nose. He dropped to the ground and started doing the worm across the stage, warranting some hoots and hollers from the crowd. When he jumped up he started booty dancing at the crowd as he fist pumped up and down. It was the most horrifyingly amazing thing I've ever seen in my life.

The song came to an end way too early and everyone started cheering. Our table was on our feet in applause.

The stage eventually darkened and the crowd started to disperse to vote for their favorites. I may be biased but I think Edward had this in the bag. The whole "nerd trying to be gangster" thing was hilarious.

There was a crowd around Edward's box and I quickly realized it was because he was standing next to it, trying to get more votes.

"I think this might be intimidation at the polls Mr. Cullen." I smiled as I approached and pulled out a twenty.

"It's working," he shrugged his shoulders. "What did you think?"

I started to put my money in the box and leaned in close. "I think I'd much rather be slipping this in the waistband of your g-string." I winked and turned around. I looked back as we walked back to our table and he was grinning at me.

Around ten o'clock the host called all the dancers on the stage. Edward stood closest to us and scratched his nose, eyeing me closely.

"We have tallied up the votes and we have a winner. First of all we'd like to thank you all for your donations, 100% of the proceeds for tonight will be going to charity. We'd also like to thank our dancers for participating, you all were great. And now for the winner. It was a close fight but the winner of the 4th annual Charity Dance Off is Edward Cullen!"

I cheered again, not surprised that he won. I mean look at him. Edward smiled and started dancing across the stage again.

The crowd stuck around for a while, but Edward managed to slip out after a few pictures.

"So what are we doing tonight?" He asked, pulling me close.

"Well I was thinking we could stay at your place?"

"Really? It's kind of boring."

"Well…" I leaned into him and smiled. "I just figured since you danced for me, maybe I could…dance for you?"

He swallowed hard and tightened his grip on me. "How soon can you be over?"

"I just have to stop by my place."

"I'll send a car for you so you won't have to take a cab."

I nodded and separated from him, rejoining Jasper. We took a cab back to our apartment and he went to bed. I guess Alice had asked him to come out and spend some time with her in New York City so he was flying out tomorrow morning.

I told him to have fun and make sure to butter her up enough that she'll be in a good mood when she gets back. As soon as his door was closed I ran into my bedroom and towards the closet.

The day Rose got back from Europe she forced me to go shopping with her. It definitely wasn't as bad as shopping with Alice, but we ended up in a lingerie store and she coaxed me into buying something that I probably would have never even tried on if it were me. I wasn't really a huge lingerie person and the thought of trying to be all sexy freaked me out. I mean look at what happened last time I tried. I slammed my face into a wall and then all my shit got stolen. Despite all of that I was willing to give it a try I guess. I hope Edward had a lot of liquor in his house because I was probably going to need it.

I grabbed onto the lacy black corset and panty set and quickly changed into it. I figured if I just brought it with me I wouldn't have the guts to put it on once I got there. I just had to go in there with my guns blazing. Or my boobs sticking out I guess. Either way I had to be fearless. I threw some clothes in a bag and a trench coat over my scantily clad body before heading out.

There was a car already waiting for me down at the street and he took me right up to Edward's door. I smiled as I approached his door, hearing the sounds of the piano filtering through the house. I was never a huge fan of classical music but when it was Edward's fingers that were playing it, it was sexy as hell.

I quietly opened the door and stepped inside, watching his back as he played. A glass full of ice and what looked like brandy sat beside him. I think he knew I was there, but he didn't falter in his playing or look my way. I tiptoed up behind him and he leaned back into me, closing his eyes and tilting his head up. I ran my fingers through his hair and leaned down to kiss him as his song came to an end.

"What was that?" I mumbled.

"Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven."

"It's beautiful."

He sighed and spun around to face me. "You're beautiful." He smiled and leaned back against the piano. "I have something for you."

"You do?"

"Mmmhmm…" He nodded and stood from the bench. I smiled and took his drink for myself as he disappeared behind me. I took a sip and cringed at the burn. It was definitely brandy.

"Celebrating tonight?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He called from the other room. "I just won the U.S. Open. And…" He reappeared carrying a small bag. "I'm in love with the most amazing person I've ever met." He took his drink bag in exchange for the bag.

I hesitated and shook my head before diving in. I pulled out a pair of underwear with "Property of Edward Cullen" written over the crotch.

"How romantic," I laughed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. I could taste the brandy on his lips. He snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.

"How much have you had to drink?" I asked.

"That was my second," he murmured. I could tell he was starting to get a little tipsy and I figured maybe that was a good thing. If he was at least somewhat drunk and I completely embarrass myself I can just pretend like it never happened. In fact I'd be completely okay with him having one more drink.

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed myself a glass so I could at least have one full drink before. I downed it and closed my eyes. Edward came up behind me and pressed his body against mine, his hands fingering the tie on my trench coat.

I shook my head and pulled away from him. I poured him another drink and took his hand, leading him back out into the living room. I did a quick check of the area to make sure all appropriate doors and windows were locked and covered. I was putting on a show for him not the entire world.

I pushed him down in a chair and stepped back. He smirked and pulled the drink to his lips. His eyes were slightly glazed over as he set it back down on the table beside him.

I took a deep breath and told myself that I was sexy. I could be sexy. _Channel your inner Playboy Bunny Bella_. Be fierce. In all fairness I'd always wondered what it would be like to be a stripper. I even went to one of those stripper work out classes cause it sounded like fun, but I worked the pole a little too rough and fell on my ass. Needless to say I didn't go to anymore classes.

I walked over to his stereo and turned on some music before turning back to him. He was eyeing me intently from across the room and I knew he was dying to see what I was wearing under the trench coat. I'm sure he'd figured out by now that it wasn't jeans and a t-shirt.

I leaned forward and placed my foot up on his chair, pushing my trench coat aside and exposing my leg. He licked his lips and ran his finger from my toes all the way up to my thigh. I backed up and smiled just before he reached any fabric. I started circling the chair, running my finger lightly over shoulders and his back. I reached up and untied my coat, just allowing it to fall open as I stepped in front of him again. I slowly reached up and brushed the coat off my shoulders, completely revealing my attire.

He bit down on his lip and growled. I loved it when he did that. If I listen to one sound for the rest of my life it would be that growl. I kept my eyes on him as I dropped to my knees and fell forward onto my hands. I kept telling myself that I was in control. That was the thing with this. You had to own it. You had to believe you were all these things you were trying to be. He may think this is all for him, but its my show. I can manipulate and control him anyway I wanted to. And that made me feel sexier than anything.

I stalked towards him, taking slow and deliberate movements as I crawled. He took another sip from his drink but never took his eyes off me. When I reached him, I threw my hair back and smirked. I started working my way up his body, hearing him hiss when I rubbed my corset-clad breasts against his length.

"I have no idea where all this came from, but I'm not complaining…" He mumbled, setting his drink down.

I continued up his body until I was straddling his waist, my breasts at his eye level. I ran my fingers through his hair and grabbed it tightly, forcing his head back. I spun around on his lap so my back was pressed against his chest. I smiled, seeing a mirror right across from us. I could definitely use this to my advantage. He dipped down and nipped at my neck as I slid down his body. I waited until his eyes were on mine in the mirror before I firmly planted my feet on the floor and spread my knees apart as I bent down. I ran my finger over the middle seam of my panties and up my stomach.

I turned around and grabbed his chin before running my fingers across his lips. He opened his mouth and took one of them in, running his tongue roughly around it. His hands gripped tightly at my sides, grinding my hips against his.

I stood up and pulled him with me. I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep this up much longer. I toted him towards the stairs so we could go up to his bedroom, but he whipped me around just as my foot hit the bottom step. He pressed me up against the wall and captured my mouth in his. He forced his tongue into my mouth, lapping and caressing mine. He palmed my breasts, feeling frustrated by all the fabric barriers. He reached behind me and found the zipper, quickly pulling it down and discarding the corset on the floor. I pulled my legs up around him, wrapping them tight around his waist. I reached in and took his bottom lip between my teeth. I smiled and tugged a little, causing him to practically run up the stairs. He threw me down on the bed and pulled his shirt over his head. I held my legs out to him as he shimmied out of his jeans and boxers.

He fell on top of me and brushed his lips lightly against mine, giving me the sweetest kiss. It wasn't something I was expecting in our current position and it really caught me off guard. There was so much love, so much adoration in it. And that's when I knew. The two Edward's had finally merged. This was my Edward, amplified by a thousand. I felt a tear slip down my cheek as he tenderly removed my panties and tossed them aside. He nudged himself between my knees, running his hands lightly up and down my legs. He leaned down and kissed my calf, and then my knee. He feathered kisses all the way up my stomach and up the middle of my chest until he met my lips again.

"I love you," he murmured, pushing himself inside me. I arched my hips up to meet him and closed my eyes. He pressed his forehead to mine as his breathing became more and more labored.

His hand grazed up my sides and down my arm as he searched for my hand. Lacing his fingers through mine, he brought our hands above my head and pressed his palm into mine. I whimpered, squeezing his hand back.

He wasn't fast or frantic. He was slow, taking his time to truly worship me and our love. I never realized earlier when I was a nervous wreck that the night would turn out like this. I was giving him all of me and I wasn't afraid anymore.

We didn't sleep afterwards even though it was well past midnight. He rested his head on my stomach as his finger danced idly across my skin.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?" I ran my fingers through his hair and smiled.

"I know I'm not…" He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to get the words out. "I know I'm not easy to love Bella but for some reason you do and I just…thank you."

"Hey…" I whispered. "There's no such thing as easy or hard to love baby. There's just love."

He smiled and kissed my stomach. "I want to take you to that charity dinner next week. As my date. Like officially."

"Really? I mean do you think that's a good idea considering…" I started.

"I think it's a great idea. I'm tired of hiding, I just want to be with you."

"Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

He rested his head down on my stomach and we drifted off to sleep, tangled up in each other.

When I woke up the next morning I was alone, the sheets draped across my body. I titled my head towards the bathroom when I heard the shower running. I smiled to myself and stretched my arms over my head.

The shower shut off and a few minutes later Edward stepped out wearing some low hung boxer-briefs. I squinted at the writing over the crotch and laughed under my breath. _Property of Bella Swan._

"Good Morning…" He smiled at me.

"Good Morning."

"So what would you like to do today?"

"I just want to spend time with you. What do you want to do today?"

"How about we go get you a new dress for the gala?" He kinked an eyebrow.

"Edward I don't like you spending money on me all the time. You don't have to do that for me."

"I know, but I want to. Hell I'd think you were the prettiest girl there if you wore a potato sack but I think that might draw a little bit more attention than we were planning."

He pulled me out of bed and had me take a shower before he took me shopping. He actually seemed genuinely amused by the whole thing, watching me put on a fashion show for him. He left the decision up to me but I could tell he really liked the first black one that I tried on so that's what we went with. I told myself not to look at the receipt because I was fairly sure I'd keel over and insist that he take it back.

I know it sounds terrible, but I think I was going to enjoy this time without Alice. We could be normal, or as normal as we could be I guess. We didn't have to sneak around or worry about what we were going to say or do in front of her. I didn't particularly plan on flaunting our relationship in public yet, but it was like this weight was lifted off us. I couldn't wait until it was like this all the time. I just wanted to be able to be with him and not worry every damn minute.

"So, I forgot to ask you." He took my hand as we drove back from the store. "What are we doing for your birthday?"

I'd almost forgot my birthday was coming up soon. Soon as in like three days. I guess I've been a little preoccupied.

"We don't need to do anything, it's okay."

"Nonsense. You should be celebrated." He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"Okay then if you insist, surprise me." I narrowed my eyes at him. "But no going overboard. Promise?"

"I promise."

**A/N: The song Edward dances to is Run DMC's "It's Tricky. And Bella rocks out to some Nine Inch Nails.**


	23. Happy Birthday Bella

**A/N: The place that Edward takes Bella in this chapter was completely made up by me. I have no idea if one really exists, I'm sure it does, but just wanted to put that out there. I made that specific one up haha.**

It was two hours and ten minutes until my twenty-third birthday and I'd managed to fall asleep on the couch, leaving Edward basically alone in the apartment. I found myself in the middle of a particularly wonderful dream where Edward and I were re-enacting our session from the darkroom and I hoped that I wasn't literally as vocal as I felt like I was being.

"Bella…" he purred. I felt someone tickle my nose.

I sighed and forced my eyes open. Edward was standing in front of me with a party hat and a noisemaker in his mouth.

"Happy Birthday!" He said, blowing on his noisemaker. I turned my head and glanced over at the clock. Twelve o'clock on the dot.

"Thanks." I smiled and my nose barely registered something sweet. Like frosting or something. "What's that?"

"Hold on." Edward jumped up and disappeared behind the couch. I heard him fumbling around a little bit before the room went completely dark. He started singing a horrible rendition of "Happy Birthday" as he rounded the couch with a cake, or what was supposed to be a cake. The frosting was a complete mess, the second layer of the cake was slipping off and the candles were out of control.

I smiled at them as he finished his song.

"Make a wish," Edward whispered. I glanced at his face across the cake, basking in the glow of the candles and blew.

Edward walked back into the kitchen so he could dish us out some. He sat down at the end of the couch and pulled my legs up onto his lap as he handed me my plate.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going tomorrow night?" I asked, yawning and taking a bite. "Well I guess technically later today."

"Nope. It's a surprise," he smirked.

"It isn't really fair you know. I didn't really give you anything on your birthday…" I shook my head.

He laughed a little under his breath and I knew that that technically wasn't true. "Even if that were true, you did save me from that humiliating display at the restaurant and you wore that sexy blue dress that drove me crazy all night. You gave me everything."

I laughed and took another bite. "You know despite how weird the cake looked it actually tastes pretty good."

"Don't hate on my cake. It took me pretty much all of last night to make it."

"Well I appreciate the effort."

He smirked and shoved a huge piece of cake in his mouth, getting frosting all over his face. He had to know it was there but he didn't give a shit.

"You've got some…" I motioned up to his face.

"I have some what?" He set his plate down and crawled on top of me.

"Frosting. On your face."

He took my plate and set it down before bringing his frosting face even closer.

"Frosting on my face? Where?" He leaned down to kiss me, brushing the frosting over my lips. He pulled back and rubbed his face across my skin. "You taste delicious."

"I think it's just the frosting." I licked my lips.

"No it's you." He leaned over and grabbed a gob of frosting on the tip of his finger. He stuck it out to me and I licked it off him.

My phone started vibrating on the table and I reached over to grab it. _Jasper._

"Hello?"

"Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks." Edward grabbed some more frosting and rubbed it on my chest. "What the hell are you doing up right now? Isn't it like the middle of the night in New York?" I tried to hold in my laughter as Edward licked his way up my chest. I couldn't help it. It tickled.

"Yes, but it is my best friend's birthday and I wanted to wish her well. What are you up to?"

"We're…having some cake." I glanced down at Edward as he continued licking the frosting off me.

"Alright well I'll let you go. Happy Birthday."

"Thanks. See ya." I hung up the phone and threw it down on the floor. "Thank you, now I'm all sticky." I smiled and shook my head.

"Better take a shower then." Edward smirked and jumped up, throwing me over his shoulder.

"It's after midnight," I laughed as he started running for the bathroom.

"And what the shower police are going to come get you? Please." He stepped into the shower, not bothering to take either of our clothes off and started the water.

I screamed as the cold water hit me and tried to divert it to him, but he was too strong. He wrapped his arms around me and forced me into the water stream as I struggled.

After we were both thoroughly soaked and he was completely satisfied that we were no longer sticky, he turned off the water.

I stepped out and reached for a couple of towels as I threw my wet clothes over the shower rod to dry.

Edward threw on some of his sweatpants that he usually left here as I pulled some pajamas out of my bottom drawer.

I froze when I stood up and noticed he was looking in my underwear drawer.

"Eek!" I leaped at him, jumping on his back and trying to pull him backwards. He laughed and struggled forward. "No!"

"You told me you'd show me sometime!" He said, rummaging through my drawer again.

I spotted the little box in the back and reached for it, but apparently I wasn't fast enough. He snatched it up and tucked it against his body.

He slammed me down on the bed and pulled back so he could hover above me.

"Edward!" I screamed.

He smirked and opened the box. "Hmmm….not really what I was expecting. It's kinda small."

"You must be jealous," I teased.

"Oh Swan, that was the wrong thing to say." He smiled and started tickling me, bringing my little underwear friend closer and closer to the danger zone. I knew if he got past my waistband it would be over.

"Wait!" I yelled. "Let me show you." I tried to put on my most suggestive voice on so he'd fall for it.

"Really?" He said, a spark in his eye.

"Mmmhmmm…." I moaned.

He leaned down to kiss me as I snaked my hands down to his, grabbing my little friend. I pushed Edward back and he obliged by rolling over and allowing me to straddle him. I smiled and dragged the little device down my cleavage.

"You ready?" I kinked an eyebrow and started towards the waistband of my pants.

"Fuck yeah." He licked his lips as his eyes followed my hand down.

I smiled and quickly launched it out into the dark living room. _Fly little plastic dick! Fly!_ The moment I said those words in my head all I could think of was a torpedo dick with wings soaring into my living room. I heard it land somewhere and turned back to Edward.

"I can't believe you did that," he murmured, his eyes wide with surprise. I didn't really care if I broke it or not, I could always buy a new one. Actually I don't really know if I want one now that he's so interested.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so nosey Cullen," I teased, leaning down to kiss him.

"Let's just go to sleep eh?" He pressed his lips to mine once more before scooting us up and under the covers.

"I love you," I whispered, glancing up at him as I settled onto his chest.

"Love you too babe," he mumbled already half asleep.

We both slept late and it was glorious. Edward left for a little while to get some last minute details straightened out for tonight. I was still pissed he wouldn't tell me what we were doing. I mean don't get me wrong I loved surprises, but they also drove me insane.

Rose and Emmett called shortly after he left and Alice called right before he got back to wish me a "Happy Birthday."

I jumped in the shower as soon as he got back and told me I needed to be ready to go in about two hours. When I got out I made sure to sneak that navy blue dress into the bathroom since he said he loved it so much. I was just running my towel through my hair when I heard my phone ringing from the other room.

"Uh Bella…it's some random number. Do you want to just let it go to voicemail?"

I set my towel down and peeked around the corner. "I wonder who it is." I took a few steps forward and took the phone from his hands. I looked down at the number and for some reason it looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Bells?"

I froze and cursed myself for answering the phone. I guess I hadn't really expected to hear from my father, even today. All the pain and anger I had for him reared their ugly head as soon as I heard his voice. Every other time he called, which wasn't very often, I at least had the caller I.D. to warn me and help me prepare a little. This was out of nowhere and it completely threw me.

Edward took in my expression and grabbed the phone from my hands.

"Hello?" He said. "This is Bella's boyfriend, who the fuck is this?" He glanced at me and shook his head. He reached down and laced his fingers through mine. "Well Charlie I don't know why you think you have any fucking right to call her after what you've done, but I'll pass along the message. And don't call her phone again."

I felt the tears start to slip down my face and I felt so embarrassed I was reacting this way to a simple phone call from him. I heard him set the phone down on the table.

"Are you okay?" He pulled me into his arms and kissed my head.

"He just makes me….so angry. All the time." I cried.

"Well get you a new number okay? You won't have to talk to him if you don't want to."

"What did he want?" I sniffled.

"He wanted to say 'Happy Birthday' but he doesn't deserve to say that to you." He pulled back and tilted my chin up so he could look at me. "Forget about him. We're going to have a great time tonight and he doesn't matter okay?"

I shook my head, almost trying to convince myself. I leaned up and kissed him as I wiped my eyes.

"I'll go get dressed," I whispered.

"Okay me too." He smiled and disappeared into my bedroom as I closed the door to the bathroom.

I dried my hair and slipped the dress on. I kept the makeup a little less dramatic than before, just enough to cover my red, puffy eyes. Hopefully they'd go down after awhile. I didn't want to look like an emotional wreck on our date.

I leaned in and took one last look before giving myself just a spritz of my strawberry body spray and stepping out.

Edward was standing in the living room with his back to me, dressed entirely in black.

I cleared my throat and took a step towards him. He spun around and froze as his eyes raked up and down my body.

"Wow," he breathed, gently resting his hand over his chest. I looked down and noticed a single red rose resting between his fingers. "You look stunning." He smiled and took the last few steps to meet me. He held out the rose and kissed my cheek.

"You look very handsome." I twirled the rose in my fingers and leaned down to smell it. "Thank you."

"Ready to go?" He laced his fingers through mine.

"Yeah."

He led me outside and I was surprised to find a limo waiting down at the curb. The driver greeted us and opened the door so we could step inside. There was a bottle of champagne already waiting for us inside.

Edward grabbed two glasses and poured each of us some.

"Happy birthday baby," he held his glass up to mine.

I smiled and took a drink as the limo pulled away from the curb.

We traveled across town and pulled up in front of a restaurant I've never been to before. The limo driver opened our door again and Edward helped me out and led me inside.

"Mr. Cullen," the host said, immediately taking two menus and leading us back through the restaurant. It was fairly crowded, but most of the people ignored us as we passed by. "This is our best table," he spoke again and smiled, gesturing to the table in front of him.

It was settled in front of elaborately draped material in deep reds. The lighting in the entire restaurant was really low, illuminated mostly by candles on the tables. There were also white rose petals scattered across the black tablecloth. It almost took my breath away it was so beautiful. I almost didn't want to sit down because I was scared I'd ruin it.

Edward thanked the host and pulled my chair out for me. I sat down and looked around once more.

"Do you like it?" He asked, smirking at me from across the table.

"There…are no words…." I whispered, taking everything in. The table was small enough that we could still be close to one another and he took that opportunity. He scooted a little closer to me and laid his hand on my thigh as he leaned over and kissed my neck.

"Welcome." The waitress approached and smiled. "May I get you something to drink?"

"We'll have your most expensive wine please," Edward murmured, never taking his eyes off me.

"Of course." She nodded and disappeared.

"Edward you don't have to do that. This place looks really expensive." I shook my head.

"I know. But I like spending money on you. And it's your birthday so you're not allowed to complain about it for one day." He laughed and started looking through the menu. "So what sounds good?"

"Everything."

The waitress returned shortly with a bottle of wine and two glasses. "Would you like a few more minutes?"

Edward looked at me and I shrugged.

"Uh…no I think we're ready. I'll have the filet mignon with the asparagus," he said, closing his menu and handing it to her.

"And I'll have the mushroom ravioli please."

"Very good," the waitress smiled and took our menus away. "I'll get that out as soon as possible."

"So. What do you usually do for you birthday?" He asked after a few minutes.

"Nothing really. Jasper usually makes me dinner and we end up watching Sex and the City reruns and drinking."

"Jasper likes Sex and the City?"

"Yeah. I don't think he watches it for the plot if you know what I mean."

"Nice."

"Thank you. For doing this. I know birthdays are a sore subject for you and I really appreciate it." I nodded.

"Of course. And since I've met you I'm starting to think they aren't too bad."

"Really?"

"You're changing my entire outlook on life Miss Swan." He sat back and winked as the waitress brought us our food. Mine was delicious, just like I expected it to be. And by the way Edward was devouring his I had a feeling he liked it too.

"So do you come here a lot?" I asked, setting my fork down.

"No. I've never been here actually. I don't usually do the date thing so…"

I cleared my throat and looked down at my lap. Of course he wouldn't do the date thing.

"Bella I know it sounds bad but that's a good thing. You know you mean more to me than anyone else ever did right?" He leaned over and took my hand.

"Yeah." I nodded and forced my eyes up to his.

"Now I remembered how partial you were to the dessert display at my birthday celebration so…" he started.

"Edward you didn't." I couldn't imagine a fancy restaurant like this doing something that absurd but I guess you never know.

"I told them to just bring out their best dessert. With two spoons of course." He smiled as the waitress set down a huge bowl in front of us. I had no idea what it was but it looked amazing. Caramel. Chocolate. Whipped Cream. Yummy.

We took our time eating that, savoring each bite. I almost asked him to order another one but I thought it might be a little excessive. I didn't even see Edward get a bill, but the next thing I know he was leading me out of the restaurant and back out to the limo.

"Did we just dine and dash?" I asked once we were inside.

"No," he laughed. "I already took care of everything." He put his arm around me and kissed my head. "Dine and dash…." He laughed again. "We're ready Harry."

"Thank you for tonight. It was the best birthday I've ever had."

"What makes you think it's over?" He kinked an eyebrow. I couldn't imagine what else he had up his sleeve, but I'll admit I was very intrigued. Edward never ceased to amaze or surprise me so I knew it had to be something good.

The limo eventually came to a stop and I tried to peek outside but I couldn't see much.

"Where are we?" I asked, reaching for the door handle.

"Wait for it," he smiled and stepped out the other side of the car as the driver opened my door for me.

The building in front of us was pretty big and very industrial looking. There were only a few lights coming from inside, but no signs or anything that would tell me what it is.

"Edward?" I asked.

He took my hand and told the limo driver that he'd call when we were ready to leave. He led me inside where we were met by a short, bald man who spoke briefly with Edward before leaving us alone.

The inside of the building was completely dark and I felt a little cautious about walking right into the middle of a pitch black room. Edward pulled us inside and stopped.

"Welcome to the Seattle Museum of Photography." He flipped on a light switch, illuminating the room. There were so many things to look at; my eyes couldn't even process anything. Famous pictures, famous photographers, all different kinds of camera equipment were on display.

"Oh my God," I whispered, taking a few steps forward. There was a thing that looked close to a camera sitting encased in glass. There was a small plaque in front stating it was the first known camera.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked, stepping beside me.

"I…love it. How did I not know that this even existed?" I turned around and tried to look at everything else. There were all different kinds of pictures. Black and white, color, sepia….half black and white half color. There were sports pictures, war pictures, landscapes, people, cultures. Everything. I've never been so in awe of my profession as I was in that moment.

Edward took my hand as we walked around, looking at each piece in silence. He didn't rush me at all. He almost looked like he was enjoying it too.

"I didn't realize you were into photography?" I said, stepping in front of another piece.

"I'm into you looking at photography."

"Thank you so much for bringing me here. It's amazing."

"You're welcome."

I was in complete awe of him at this moment. He was selfless, compassionate, loving. He was everything that I knew that he was when I first met him. Even behind that mask he wore I knew this was here the entire time and I was so grateful that he was finally letting it show. I took a big risk with him and right now I realized it was paying off. That was all he needed was someone to take a chance on him. Someone to show him what he was worth, what he could be. He could be a little cocky, a little smug, and still be the amazing man that made me fall in love with him. And I was so glad that it was me who got to witness his transformation because this right here? It was perfection at its finest.

He pulled me into his arms and started twirling me slowly around the floor. I smiled as soft music started playing through the speakers and allowed my body to melt into his. His hand reached for mine, placing them both over his heart.

He released me when the song ended and took a seat over in the corner as I started another round of walking around. In all honesty he shouldn't have brought me here. I don't know if I'll ever be able to leave. I'd definitely have to come back here again.

I was very aware of his eyes on me as I inched around the room, but they weren't agitated or aggressive or demanding. They were looking at me like I was the most precious thing in the world. Almost like he looked at me the night of he first kissed me, when I first saw my Edward. I stopped when I reached him and smiled.

"I'm ready," I said.

"Are you sure? We can stay as long as you want."

"Yeah." I reached out for him and pulled him out of his chair. He grabbed his phone and called the driver so he could pick us up out front. I fell asleep on Edward's shoulder on the way home, floating off into the darkness. And I was happy.

I'd completely forgotten about my dad, forgotten about how shitty he made me feel, how angry I was with him. For one night everything seemed perfect. I should have known it was too good to last. Nothing this perfect ever lasts. And I didn't have to wait too long to figure that out.

**A/N: Aw what a nice birthday. The song Edward played for Bella at the Museum was "Stolen" by Dashboard Confessional.**

**And a lot of news so bare with me puhlease : )**

**First off, the poll for Tennisward's theme song has closed and the winner was "Whataya Want From Me" by Adam Lambert. It only won by one vote so that's how close it was. Second place was "I Don't Trust Myself" by John Mayer and they're honestly both amazing songs for him. I've gotten a lot of pictures for the project and will be working on that and post it on the blog when it's finished. Look out for the Tennisward porn : )**

**Secondly, because the poll for the theme song is closed that means the EPOV outtake poll is up. I think I got all the choices you guys were looking for on there but if I missed something let me know and I'll add it. You can choose up to 2 options. I'm not sure how long I'm leaving this one up for but I'll let you know. It shouldn't be long because you guys are overdo for an outtake. The next outtake poll will be at 2500 reviews.**

**Thirdly, if you have read or are planning to read Secret Life, which will be my next story after this, the complete first chapter is posted. I had originally only had the BPOV but have tweaked that and added an EPOV so if you're looking for a preview of what's coming up check it out. **

**Lastly, I think, I don't think I'll be able to update everyday because I'm starting to get ready to pack up and leave but it will be as much as possible because like I said I do want to get Tennisward finished before I head back hopefully. **

**Thanks for all the support and reccs! I've even been getting more reviews for CoC so thank you to all those who are reading it for the first time (or rereading it) I still read all the reviews so make sure you leave them. : )  
**


	24. A Notch Past the Worst Day Ever

**A/N: This chapter is HUGE for so many reason I can't even explain. Also wanted to clear up about Bella and her dad. A few people had forgotten what their deal was so I thought I'd let Bella explain it just to be sure. This is an excerpt from chapter 4, during the 80's party when her and Edward were up on the roof**

** "My mom died…three years ago. Cancer. My dad and her split up when I was little and he was never really around. I was okay with it I guess. But when she got her diagnosis, I knew….I thought for sure he'd show up to help me take care of her. I thought he'd finally be a father to me and at least a friend to her. He never showed. Not even at her funeral."**

**If you haven't already, please check out the first chapter of my new story Secret Life. It's on my profile and I will start posting regularly after this story is finished, which by the way it has about 34-35ish chapters.  
**

Edward stayed with me for the next two days until it was time for him to go get ready for the gala. Apparently Alice had picked out which clothes she wanted him to wear and they were still in his closet at his place. He kissed me and told me he'd be back to get me around seven.

I laid around for a little bit before slipping on my new black dress. I loosely pinned my hair back and brushed on some blush and lip-gloss.

For some reason I was a little anxious about our whole "coming out" tonight. I was really relieved that we weren't going to hide anymore. It took a huge strain off me and I felt like it was going to do the same for our relationship in general, but it was still nerve-wracking. I knew I was going to be walking into a room where most of the women either already fucked my boyfriend or probably wanted to and I had a feeling they weren't going to like me that much. It was a simple fact. They could be there with their husbands or boyfriends but simply hate me because I was with him. I was going to be hated on principle and it was something I'd have to deal with I guess.

Alice was a completely different story. She wasn't supposed to be home until late tomorrow and from what Jasper says it sounds like they're having a good time. I was a little worried that it would get back to her after tonight, but Edward didn't seem to think so. He said that anyone who would bitch about it probably assumed that she already knew. The only thing he was a little worried about was the paparazzi photos, but he didn't think Alice would have time to sit around waiting for them to come online. Plus she'd be traveling most of the day.

Edward called me at quarter to seven, asking if he should come up or not. I told him I was ready and went down to meet him. He was waiting beside a large SUV talking to the driver as they waited. He smiled when I approached and kissed my cheek, telling me how beautiful I looked. He opened the door and we jumped inside.

I held on nervously to his hand as we drove to the hotel.

"You okay?" He whispered.

"Yeah. Just a little anxious." I tried to smile but I knew it didn't look right.

We pulled up in front of the hotel and there was a large group of paparazzi waiting. The car in front of us opened up and I instantly recognized the wave of strawberry blonde hair stepping out. _Tanya._ I nearly choked when I saw James step out of the car with her, quickly wrapping his arm around her.

"Good couple huh?" Edward joked. I laughed a little as he rested his chin on my shoulder. "Don't be nervous, it's just you and me okay?" He brushed his lips across my shoulder.

"Okay."

I took a deep breath as a man approached to open our door. Edward immediately smiled and waved to the crowd as he stepped out. The crowd gathered around started screaming right away. Edward gave one more wave before holding his hand back to me. He pulled me out of the car and there was an instant wave of silence over the crowd. The only thing I could hear was the fierce clicking of the photographer's cameras. I couldn't see anything. I was completely blinded.

Edward, confident as ever, just pulled me along and ushered me towards the door. The photographers yelled at him for a picture and I started to step away but he pulled me back, instantly wrapping his arm around my waist. _So this was it. I was officially Edward Cullen's girlfriend._

"Bella! Over here! Who are you wearing?" One of the photographers yelled. I hadn't really expected them to speak to me at all, let alone know my name. I tried to think of something to say, but thankfully Edward pulled me inside and out of the circus.

"We did good for our first official red carpet," he smiled. He held my hand tighter as we walked through the lobby and into the grand ballroom, where the gala was being held.

I know it was irrational but I swear I could feel everyone's eyes on us as we crossed the room, almost like they were zeroed in on our fingers laced together. I bit down on my lip and looked down at the ground as we approached the bar.

"What do you want babe?" Edward asked.

"Um…vodka cranberry," I mumbled. I wasn't really planning on drinking tonight but I needed a little something to calm me down.

"One vodka cranberry and one water please."

The bartender handed us our drinks and we started mingling around the room. Edward did an amazing job of introducing me to everyone, but I still felt a little left out just because this wasn't my world yet. It wasn't normal for me and I knew it was going to take a long time to adjust.

"Hey pretty girl," a voice murmured in my ear. I smiled and turned around, recognizing Jake's voice right away.

"Hey Jake."

I felt Edward's hand tighten slightly at the mention of his name, but he quickly recovered and turned towards us.

"I see it's your coming out party? Congratulations." He smiled. "Edward. Nice to see you." Jake extended his hand to Edward and I held my breath.

"You too Jacob." Edward offered a smile and shook his hand. I never thought I see that in my entire life.

They started talking some tennis stuff and I got distracted looking around the room. I was a people watcher, I couldn't deny that. I'd gotten caught several times and it always turned out to be really embarrassing.

I spotted James at the bar sans Tanya. He was already looking at me when I spotted him and I instinctively cowered into Edward's side and looked away. Edward noticed my gesture but apparently didn't see the cause. I had a feeling he wouldn't be as friendly with James as he was with Jacob. He briefly leaned down and kissed my head before continuing his conversation with Jake.

Edward reached into his back pocket and clicked his phone before putting it back.

"Alice has been calling me all day. I love my sister, but I'm not quite ready to go back to work yet," he laughed. Come to think of it I had a missed call from her earlier too, I just got caught up in getting ready and forgot to call her back.

The host for the evening announced that dinner was being served so we made our way to our seats and sat down. I was happy to see Jake was seated at our table and less than thrilled that James and Tanya were too, along with another redhead.

The entire table was so busy chatting away through dinner that they didn't notice it, but I did. That asshole sitting across the table from me wouldn't leave me alone. His arm rested casually on the back of Tanya's chair as he sipped on his drink. I didn't want to look at him because his face just made me nauseous but he wouldn't stop staring at me. I shifted uncomfortably and tried to focus on the conversation around the table.

The waiters took our plates away and placed desserts in front of us. Edward's hand drifted to my thigh as he dug into his piece of cake. I relaxed a little at his touch but I still felt uneasy. After tonight I was telling Edward that we better be seated as far away from James next time or I wasn't coming. This was downright creepy.

I think Edward finally noticed the unwanted attention I was getting and put his arm around my shoulders. He glared over at James, holding his gaze for longer than expected for a casual glance.

The people at our table eventually started drifting off, breaking away to mingle and dance again. Edward finally relaxed a little as Tanya and James stepped away.

"Was he doing that the whole time?" He whispered. I nodded. "Bella you should have told me, I would have taken care of it."

"What were you going to do beat his ass right here between dinner and dessert?" I asked.

"No, but we could have left or something. You shouldn't have to put up with him. I know how he works. The fact that he can't have you is driving him insane." He sat back and took a deep breath.

"Who was that other girl with them?"

"I think it was his sister Victoria. She's his agent and from what I hear she's pretty cut-throat. They're both trust fund babies and have had more money than they know what to do with since they were born. They're all assholes with a bigger attitude problem than I have." He smiled a little. "I have to run to the bathroom." He glanced nervously around. He didn't want to leave me here.

"Just go I'll be fine," I said.

He looked at me a long moment before jumping out of his seat.

"Can you please….watch her?" He murmured to Jake, throwing me an apologetic look for how bad that sounded. I know he didn't mean it that way, he just wanted me safe.

"Sure. I'll do better, I'll dance with her." Jake stood up and smiled.

"I'm not sure if you want to do that, she might injure you," Edward joked.

I glared at both of them as they laughed.

"No kissing her this time Black." Edward shook his head and started through the crowd.

Jake held out his hand to me and pulled me out of my seat. "Good he's gone. Now we can make out," he teased. I slapped his chest and laughed as he pulled me out onto the dance floor.

It still wasn't as easy as dancing with Edward, but at least he didn't try to feel me up this time. I had a feeling Jake could be a really good friend and I hoped that this truce with Edward held up long enough for it to happen. He asked me more about how my photography was going and a little about Edward and my relationship. He wasn't prying, just curious.

I spotted Edward making his way back to the table. He smiled at me and took a seat. The next time Jake spun me around my fingers tightened on his shoulder. _She _was sitting with him alone at the table. She leaned close to him as they spoke. Edward looked a little frustrated as he ran his fingers through his hair. He shook his head adamantly as a few more people sat down at our table. He glanced over at them and back at Tanya as she spoke to him again. I barely saw him glance at me before Jake spun me around again, cutting off my view. When I looked over at the table again they were gone.

_No Bella._ I closed my eyes tight and told myself to relax. Edward was making an effort and I had to do the same. I had no reason to be upset because I trusted him. Maybe they didn't even leave the table together. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on dancing with Jake. The fact that Edward was even okay with this showed how much he'd grown. I wasn't going to be the one to mess this up because of my stupid insecurities that despite my best effort were still there. Barely.

Jake jumped and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his phone.

"Bella I'm so sorry I have to take this. Will you be alright?" He asked.

"Yeah I'll be fine."

"Okay just stay here. I'll be back." He put the phone to his ear and walked off the dance floor. I felt a little weird just standing in the middle of the dance floor by myself so I migrated to the side and leaned up against the wall. I looked around, searching for any sign of Edward. There was a long hallway beside me, leading away from the ballroom. I could see dark archways every now and then down it, probably leading to smaller conference rooms, but I didn't see anyone down there.

I started growing more and more frantic as the minutes passed by. I finally pulled out my phone and stepped into the side hallway, trying to get away from the noise. I dialed his number and held the phone up to my ear.

"Bella?" He answered.

"Where are you?" I asked, a little agitated.

"Looking for you actually where are you?"

"I'm over by the-" I started to say. My breath was abruptly cut off as a hand covered my mouth and pulled me into one of the dark archways. I was slammed up against a wall, a hand still covering my mouth as I tried to scream.

"I was wondering when he was finally going to leave you alone. I've been waiting all night…" James whispered. I tried to scream again as the panic rose up in my throat. My eyes frantically danced around the room trying to find something to defend myself.

It was a small conference room, just like I'd thought. There was a long table and several chairs lined up beside it. Other than that it was just a fucking room. There was nothing in here. There wasn't even a damn door. It wasn't like anyone could see in here even if they looked. It was like we were invisible in the middle of a crowded room.

I tried to turn my head and look out into the ballroom. I caught a quick glimpse of Edward wading through the dance floor, a worried expression plaguing his face.

I screamed for him again but nothing came out. I could barely breathe with his hand clamped over my mouth. I felt the tears stream down my face as I struggled to push him away. He was just too strong and I felt completely helpless. He reached up and fingered along the fabric covering my one shoulder. He gripped it tightly and pulled, I started crying harder when I heard the fabric rip, falling down towards my stomach and exposing my bra.

I gathered all my strength and tried to knee him in the groin. I didn't get in a good shot because he body was already so close to me, but he cowered back a little, just enough for me to slip by. He blocked my way out so I ran the other way to the other side of the table. I thought maybe if I at least at something in between us it would help my chances.

I mustered up everything I had and screamed as loud as I could. I could see the dance floor clearly from here, but no one even glanced my way. The music was too loud.

"They aren't going to hear you baby…" James stood back up and shook his head. "And that wasn't very smart. I was at least going to be gentle but now I can promise that you won't enjoy this." He stalked towards me with a smirk on his face. I could barely see him in the darkness but it was enough to terrify me.

Every time I would make a move, he would mimic me. It was almost like a dance. I glanced down at one of the chairs and decided it would at least be a distraction. I sniffled and looked at James again a moment before I picked up the folding chair and launched it at him. I cried again as he ducked and it flew over his head. It didn't even graze him. The chair flew out into the hallway as James launched himself over the table. I cowered back as he grabbed me and slammed me against the wall again.

"Kick me again and you'll regret it. Do you understand?"

I could barely see I was crying so bad, but I nodded, not wanting to piss him off anymore.

He brought his hand down to my thigh and roughly pulled my dress up as he started devouring my neck. I shivered at the feeling of him on me and held back the vomit.

_Edward help me,_ I thought. I focused my eyes on the archway, praying that he would know somehow. He always did.

I closed my eyes as James reached for my panties and roughly yanked them down.

There was some commotion and I opened my eyes just as he was roughly whipped away from me.

I saw two figures jump onto of him, subduing him to the table. Someone raised their fist and slammed it down towards James. I heard the sound and cringed, but couldn't make myself move. I wanted to run. I wanted to run as far away as I could but I was frozen.

"You touch her again and I'll fucking kill you!" Edward screamed. "You hear me!" He punched James again before turning around to me. I didn't realize how hard I was trembling until he reached out to me. He took in my appearance and didn't force me to do anything. He just scooped me up in his arms and whisked me out of the room. He went directly down the hallway and into another room like the one we'd just left, flicking the light on as he stepped inside.

"Baby I'm so sorry." He set me down on the table, his eyes welling up with tears. "Are you hurt? Did he….?" He trailed off, not even able to finish.

I shook my head.

"I was so scared when I couldn't find you." He took my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. "I knew something was wrong and I was fucking panicking. When I saw that chair fly out of that room I knew something was going on." He kissed me again and buried his face in my hair as he held me. "Thank God."

He held me until I stopped crying and then offered me his jacket to cover me up. He tucked me into his side and led me out of the room. The first room where James had cornered me was no longer dark. I peeked inside as we passed and saw him sitting on the table in handcuffs, a police officer standing by the archway. Jake was talking to him, explaining everything that happened and I realized that he was the other one in the room.

The party had all but stopped in those few minutes. Honestly I had no idea how long it'd been but it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes from when James pulled me into that room. The entire ballroom was practically cleared out. Edward led me to another policeman close to the front door and explained that I was the one who was attacked. He asked me to answer a few questions and took my statement. I shook my head when he asked if I needed any medical attention. I might have a headache and some bruises but I knew it was nothing serious. He told me that they'd call to follow up.

"Bella I'm just going to go finish up with the other officer and talk to Jake for a sec okay?" He left me standing by the officer we'd just talked to so I wouldn't be alone. I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to hold back the tears again. I shoved my hands in his pockets and felt something beneath my fingers. I pulled my hand out and my breath hitched in my throat. A condom wrapper and a lacy thong.

I couldn't breathe. I shoved the items back down into his pocket and closed my eyes. He was with Tanya. He fucked her while I was dancing with Jake, while I was being attacked. I was finally starting to truly trust him and he betrayed me. My shoulders heaved up and down as I felt the bile start to rise in my throat. I covered my mouth and ran for the front door as Edward started towards me. I fell to the concrete outside and started throwing up, unable to hold it in anymore. I felt like my heart was breaking into a million pieces, completely shattered in an instant. How could he do this to me after everything he's said….everything we've done? I couldn't understand it.

Edward came up behind me and pulled my hair back as I heaved one last time. He rubbed my back and kept asking me if I was okay as our car approached.

"Are you okay to ride home?" He whispered.

I simply nodded, unable to get any words out. I was livid. Edward opened the door for me and I slid inside, not even wanting to be in the same car with him. I scooted over as far as I could as he got in and closed the door.

"Do you want to stay at my place tonight?" He asked.

"I want to go home," I said sharply.

"Okay," he said, his brow furrowing in confusion. He thought he was so fucking slick right now and it made me sick.

The car started driving and I wrapped my arms around myself and leaned away from him as he tried to put his arm around me.

"Are you sure he didn't hurt you?" Edward asked again.

"No. _He _didn't hurt me," I snapped.

"What's going on?" He turned his whole body towards me. "Talk to me."

"Do you want to explain this to me?" I reached my hand inside and pulled out the condom wrapper and the underwear. His eyes widened as he stuttered to say something. "No! You know what? I don't even want to hear you try to explain it because it's pathetic." I threw the items at him and turned forward.

"Bella this is not…" He shook his head.

"Not what I think? Isn't that what the cheating boyfriends always say?"

"Would you like me to pull over and give you some privacy?" The driver said nervously. His eyes shifted back to us in the mirror.

"No just get me home please. I can't be in this car anymore." I shook my head and stared out the window.

"Bella, I know how bad this looks and sounds but Tanya and I were just talking. She hit on me and I told her no. She asked me about you, how serious we were and we couldn't talk about it at the table so we went out into the lobby. That is fucking all that happened. I know I don't owe her anything and probably shouldn't have even talked to her, but it was fucking innocent. Please…"

"And what? A condom just happened to fall on your dick and her underwear jumped into your pocket on their own. You could start your own damn magic show Edward…really." I reached for the handle as soon as the driver pulled up to my building.

Edward reached for me and I shook him away. He scooted over and jumped out of the car behind me.

"You actually think you're staying here tonight?" I snapped in disbelief. "Go home Edward."

"You are…my home," he stammered.

I continued inside, pissed off that he was following me. At least I could lock him out of my apartment once we got there.

"Bella please I'm in love with you. I would never…do that to you," he yelled as we ascended the stairs and walked into the hallway. Neither of us cared that we were screaming at each other in the middle of people's hallway.

"This is such bullshit Edward. I…trusted you! I gave you everything and I get it all thrown back in my face!" I unlocked my apartment and walked inside the dark room. "You are not welcome inside."

He stopped in the doorway and leaned against the doorframe. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't want you to say anything. In fact I don't want you to speak to me at all from now on. I'll just go back to doing my job. I'll be Bella and you'll be Edward and once this job is done I won't ever have to see you again. It'll be like you never existed." My breath caught in my throat as I uttered the words. They hurt me just as much as they hurt him.

"Bella you don't mean that. We love each other…" He took a step inside the apartment and flipped the light on. His face froze and focused on something behind me. "Alice."

I gasped and spun around. Alice was sitting in the chair, her legs crossed tightly in front of her. I've seen her angry before, but I've never seen her like this. Jasper sat behind her and shrugged an apology.

"Alice I can explain…" I started. She held her finger up and silenced me. She reached over and grabbed the television remote.

"It should be on. They've been showing it about every five minutes all day," her voice was calm as she spoke. Too calm.

She turned on the television and flipped to one of those twenty-four hour entertainment channels. I gasped as pictures of Edward and I flashed across the screen. They weren't paparazzi pictures or event pictures. They were my pictures. They were our pictures from that night in the hotel. Whoever stole the film from my room developed them and sold them to the media.

I grimaced as the one with Edward kissing my cheek flashed across the screen.

"Your last check is on the counter. It's not the full amount we discussed, but we won't be requiring your services anymore," she said coldly.

"Alice," Edward started. "I think you're overreacting a little. We can't just hire a new photographer right now!"

"I don't want liars working for me. I'm stuck with you because you're my brother but she's fired." She stood up and crossed the room.

This was turning into the day from hell. I got attacked, cheated on and fired. I'm pretty sure if they had a contest for the worst day ever I would win that fucker hands down.

Alice left the apartment without another word, which made me think she knew that Jasper knew. She hadn't even acknowledged him. Jasper quietly excused himself and went to his room, leaving Edward and I alone.

"Can I…can I call you tomorrow?" He asked.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. I need a break."

"I told you nothing happened."

"And I told you that you weren't welcome here. Get the fuck out." I nodded to the door.

He sighed and did as I said. I slammed the door and locked it before retreating to my room.

Jasper waited a while before coming over to check on me. He told me that the photos had broke earlier today and Alice tried calling both of us, which would explain our missed calls. She told the Hanes people that they had to reschedule and they caught the first flight out here.

"She's not very happy with you is she?" I whispered.

"No she's not." He shrugged. "She'll give over it though."

"Yeah maybe with you. Not with me. We shouldn't have lied to her."

"No you probably shouldn't have. But it was your decision and you did what you did. Can't change it now."

"And now I have nothing."

Jasper asked what happened with Edward and I recounted the entire night. He got furious when I told him about James but I assured him that I was fine. The other damage wasn't as reparable.

"I was so stupid…" I shook my head. "I shouldn't have let him in, I knew this was going to happen." I shook my head.

"Okay don't yell at me, but are you absolutely sure it happened?"

"Are you serious right now? Did you even hear what I found in his pocket?"

"Yes, but it doesn't make sense to me. Anyone could see that boy is in love with you Bella. Frankly with how perceptive Alice is I'm surprised it took those pictures for her to figure it out."

"Well he has a funny way of showing it. Goodnight." I pulled the covers over my head. Jasper patted my back and retreated to his own room. For the first time in a long time I felt truly alone. And I fucking hated it.

**A/N: Shit day of epic proportions for Bella. There's so much going on, all the shit has hit the fan, gah! I smell something fishy going on here, I wonder what it is. Okay I know what it is but regardless. Fishy? Thoughts?**

**Remember to vote in the new outtake poll!  
**


	25. Going Home

**A/N: Wow really surprised at all the hate for Bella. After the day she had and Edward's past I can't say I would have reacted any different intially. But we all know Bella is a stubborn ass anyway. Even though I empathize and semi-understand I still want to grab her by the shoulders and shake the shit out of her. Also a lot of interesting theories about the *cough* items in Edward's pocket. I will say that at least one person has it right. Good job detective. **

I woke up early the next morning but I didn't want to get out of bed. Getting out of bed would mean admitting that last night was real. I wanted it to be a dream and I knew as soon as I walked out of this bedroom I would have to face it.

I heard someone knock on our front door and I hoped that Jasper was awake to get it. And if it was Edward I hope Jasper kicked his ass for me, regardless of the little bromance he apparently has going on with him.

Thankfully the door opened and closed fairly quickly so I was safe from leaving my room.

"Bella!" Jasper yelled. "Get up. There's something here for you!"

"No!" I yelled, pulling my covers closer.

"I promise you'll love it."

There goes my curiosity again, flying through the roof. I sighed and rolled out of bed, taking my blanket with me. I shuffled out into the kitchen, cautiously peering around the corner just in case a certain tennis player was sitting there. The only person in the room was Jasper. He stood by the bar staring at a huge ass box sitting on the counter.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Come see." He waved me over and I finally gave in. He already had the box halfway open so I only had to yank on the top a little. There was a letter on top and I instantly recognized Edward's handwriting.

_Bella,_

_I didn't really take you for a flower crazy girl so I went with these instead. I just need you to know that I love you and if you could just…call me, text me, email me, I don't care. I just need to talk to you. I promise you can eat as many of these as you want and I won't ever complain again._

_Edward_

I glanced down inside the box and saw it was filled with frozen dinners. _Of course._

I threw the letter down and made my way over to the couch.

"Are you going to call him?" Jasper asked.

"No."

"Bella the man just gave you an entire grocery store's worth of frozen dinners." He walked over and sat beside me. "You seem to be forgetting what I told you before when this whole thing started."

"What?"

"If you were really just another conquest he wouldn't care."

"I can't trust him." I wiped a tear away. "It doesn't matter how much I love him or he claims that he loves me. He can't just…bullshit his way out of this one Jasper." I knew it wasn't even really Edward's fault. It was mine. I was the one who couldn't let go of his past.

"Okay. I won't say another word about it." He put his arm around my shoulder as I flipped on the television.

"So is Alice talking to you yet?" I asked.

"She said to call her in a few days after she calms down. Don't worry about us we'll be fine." He gave me a squeeze.

I flipped through the channels trying to find something to watch. I finally stopped on a news station and was quickly bombarded with the same pictures of Edward and I. Except this time they also added some new paparazzi ones from last night. Those little fuckers were quick.

I flipped the station, trying to find something else but I couldn't get away from it. Every show I found would eventually have something about Edward and I on the screen or running across their little scrolling news down at the bottom. I finally found a cartoon thinking I was safe, only to find out the main character's name was Edward. Fuck you cartoons.

I can't be here anymore. It's only the first day and I feel like I'm suffocating. I try not to think about him but his frozen dinners are on my countertop, his face is all over my television screen and his name is following me around like a lap dog.

I took a shower, noticing a few bruises on my arms from James. I tried to function normally. I even dragged myself up to the darkroom to develop some pictures. I avoided rolls with Edward because I wasn't quite ready for that yet. I'd develop them some day, I mean they were still my pictures and I wanted to see them. Just not now.

When I got back down to the apartment Jasper was sitting on the counter waiting for me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You had some visitors…"

I instantly thought it was Edward but then realized he had said visitors. Plural. As in more than one.

"Who was it?"

"Well let's see there was one from a local newspaper, one with a camera guy in tow and one from TMZ."

"What?"

"Reporters. Apparently you and Edward are…were the new hit couple. And with everything that happened yesterday and last night the media is having a field day."

"Great."

Someone knocked at the door again and he jumped up to answer it. He cracked the door open a little.

"Is Bella Swan here?" A woman asked.

"Who's asking?"

"I'm a reporter from the…"

"No comment." He slammed the door in her face.

I buried my head in my hands and screamed. This was ridiculous. I couldn't handle all of it, I was going to break.

There was another knock ten minutes later and we didn't even bother answering it. I just sat on the couch, wrapped up in my blanket trying to escape it all. It's all I wanted.

"I can't do this," I shook my head as I turned the television off. I stormed to my bedroom and grabbed my duffel bag out of my closet. I grabbed any and all of the clothes I could get my hands on before heading into the bathroom to get my toiletries.

"What are you doing?" Jasper asked.

"I can't stay here right now. I just…I need some time away."

"Bella where the hell are you going to stay? Where are you going to go?"

"I'm going to Forks." I brushed past him and started towards the door.

"You're going to stay with your dad?" He asked.

"Hell no. It's not like it's the only house I have in Forks."

He narrowed his eyes at me when he figured out what I meant. "Bella do you really want to go back there? I mean I know it's technically yours and everything but you haven't been back there since the funeral."

"Well that'll give me something to do then." I inched the door open and peeked my head out in the hallway to see if I was in the clear. The hallway was completely empty. I turned back towards Jasper. He stood right behind me with his hands in his pockets.

"Well I'm not letting you go by yourself. I'll at least drive you there." He grabbed his keys off the counter and closed the door behind us. I ran upstairs and grabbed enough photography supplies to at least let me develop pictures.

I was a little anxious going back to Forks. I hadn't been there in three years and to make matters worse I was going back to my mother's house. It wasn't that it was a bad thing, I love the house. It was so her and so amazing, but it just made me feel this overwhelming sadness at the same time. I felt like it wouldn't be her house without her. She'd left it to me in her will but I've never really had the balls to go back there and do anything with it, yet I still couldn't sell it.

Forks was a small town and even though my father lived on the complete other side I was still scared I would run into him. I was hoping to stay out of downtown and avoid as many people as possible so it wouldn't get back to him. I honestly don't know if he'd try anything anyway, after his conversation with Edward.

Jasper and I were pretty quiet on the drive there. I winced as I started to see the familiar signs of home. I guess it wasn't really home to me, not really. But it wasn't Seattle and that was enough for me. He slowed the car as he pulled into the driveway and reached over to grab my hand as the car came to a stop in front of the house.

We sat in the driveway for a long time as I looked up at the house. It definitely looked a little worse for wear. The grass was terribly overgrown and the paint was chipped in a lot of places. I glanced behind the house and saw the little garage out back. I knew my truck was back there but I knew there was no way it would still run right after sitting back there all this time. I'd have to call a mechanic or something for when I needed to make the runs into town.

I finally reached for the handle and got out of the car. Jasper shut it off and came to stand with me by the porch stairs. I walked up and rummaged through my key ring to find the right one.

The door creaked as we opened it up and I instantly smiled. I'd barely taken a step inside and I could still feel her here. All the furniture had been left. It was draped in sheets and covers. I continued through the living room and the kitchen. I took a chance and turned on the faucet, wondering if the water would even work. It did.

Jasper started walking around the house, just checking everything out. He plugged in everything he could along the way and made sure all the lights worked. We eventually uncovered all the furniture and headed into town so we could get some cleaning supplies. I told him he didn't have to stay but he offered to at least stay the night and help me get settled here. I had no idea how long I was going to stay but I knew I didn't want to go back to Seattle anytime soon. Jasper was the only thing for me there and I knew he'd understand.

We picked up some supplies and some food while we were in town and thankfully avoided seeing anyone I knew. There were some familiar faces, but none that I knew their names.

We ate our food and started cleaning right after. We went straight into the night. I had a feeling it was going to take a couple days to get everything all set. No one's been in the house for years. I was the only one who had a key.

It felt a little weird sleeping there, but I quickly settled into my old room and fell asleep. Jasper slept down on the couch even though I told him he could sleep in here with me. It wasn't like we hadn't slept in the same bed before. I think he just wanted to give me a little privacy.

I woke up in the middle of the night, wide-awake. I looked around the dark room and finally realized the weight of everything in this house. My mother lived in this house. She suffered in this house. It was a heavy thing for me to be here, but I had a feeling that walking through this storm was going to make everything better. I just had to get back to the basics. I'd gotten so wrapped up in Seattle and in Edward and I just needed to get back to me for a while.

Jasper took the lawn mower we'd found in the garage into town to get some gas for it. He was being so nice helping me with everything. When he got back he started mowing the lawn for me while I kept cleaning in the house. I pretty much forced him to leave that night. It wasn't that I wanted him to leave; I just didn't want him to stop his entire life to stay here with me. I knew he had things going on back in Seattle and I would be okay for a little while. I wasn't staying here forever and it wasn't a long drive.

He gave me a long hug before he left, his eyes incredibly apprehensive about leaving me.

"I'll be fine Jasper. I'm a big girl." I tried to smile. "I just need a break okay? I'll be back."

"I know I'll just miss having you at the apartment." He hesitated a moment before he continued. "What do you want me to tell him?"

We both knew Edward was going to show up at the apartment eventually. It was just in his nature.

"You can tell him anything except for where I am." I shrugged. I don't think I could handle him driving down here and showing up at my door. At least not right now.

"Alright. Well call me if you need anything." He smiled and got in his car.

I went back inside and cleaned a little more before eating our leftover pizza and going to bed.

The next morning I grabbed the old phonebook from beside the refrigerator and hoped that at least one of the mechanics in there was still operating. Clearwater's was the first on the list so I gave it a try. I think I actually went to school with a couple of his kids.

"Clearwater's how can I help you?" A female voice answered.

"Um…yeah. I have a truck that's been sitting idle for a few years and was wondering if someone could come out and take a look at it, you know get it up and running."

"We don't usually do house calls."

"I can pay whatever you want. I'll literally be stranded at my house if I don't get this thing running and I don't know the first thing about cars."

"Okay give me the address and I'll send someone out," she said.

"Thank you," I sighed. I rambled off the address.

"Isn't that the old Swan place?" She asked.

"Um yes." I guess it technically was since my mom's last name was still Swan.

"Didn't know anyone lived out there. Did they sell it?"

"No. I inherited it from my mother when she died."

"Bella?" She asked.

"Yes…."

"It's Leah. Leah Clearwater, we went to school together." She sounded a little indifferent. I definitely remembered her. She kind of kept to herself; beat the shit out of another girl senior year for stealing her boyfriend. Apparently the girl was her cousin or something.

"Oh yeah. Leah how are you doing?"

"Alright I guess. I didn't realize you still lived in Forks. I thought you were up in Seattle." She cleared her throat and I had a distinct feeling that she'd seen the news.

"I don't really. I was up there for a while and I'm just here…visiting. Well cleaning up the house really."

"Gotcha. Alright well I'll send Seth out. He should be there soon."

"Thanks Leah."

I hung up the phone and went to wait for Seth out on the porch. I remembered him too. He was a year younger than us and I always thought he was a nice kid.

Fifteen minutes later a truck pulled into the driveway and a tall, tanned man got out. He was quite different than the scrawny kid I remembered.

"Hi Bella!" He held out his hand and smiled.

"Seth." I nodded.

"It's nice to see you, when did you get back?"

"Just a couple of days ago. It's good to see you too, you're sure grown up." I still recognized his face, but he was just older. I mean he was obviously older, I hadn't seen him in a long time. Duh. But he just looked so much more mature. If I wasn't still pissed at the male species in general I might think he was hot.

"It happens," he laughed. "So your truck is little under the weather?"

"Um. Yeah. I didn't take it with me when I moved so its just been sitting back here. I don't even know if it still runs or is fixable." I shrugged.

"Well I'll take a look." He grabbed a toolbox from the back of his truck and we started towards the garage. He smirked as the door opened, revealing my truck. It sure wasn't much to look at but besides all the rust and chipped paint I thought it had character.

"I know it's old."

"Bella it was old when you drove it to high school. I'm pretty sure it can be classified as ancient now."

"Well whatever it is I just need it to work."

He lifted the hood and started poking and prodding as I leaned up against the garage door. He tinkered around for a while and we talked about everything we've been up to in the past few years. He'd started working at his dad's shop right after high school and had taken over most of the work since his dad's heart attack.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I groaned, knowing it was probably Edward. He'd called six times since I got here and I hadn't picked up once, you'd think he'd get the message. I didn't even listen to his voicemails.

"So are you really dating that tennis player?" He asked, smiling up at me.

"I was."

"Not anymore?"

"I don't think so." I shook my head.

"You don't think so? Well is it really that complicated? You're either dating him or you aren't." He laughed.

"You have no idea how complicated it really was." I couldn't be with Edward if he slept with Tanya. I refused to be cheated on and I obviously was still having issues about his history even though I thought I'd gotten past it. But that didn't mean I stopped loving him. I knew once the anger faded I was going to start to miss him and I'd just have to deal with it.

The roar of the engine broke me out of my daze. It was actually running.

"It wasn't too bad. Just needed a little tuning up." Seth slammed the hood shut. "Just leave it running for a while so it can get some juice. I'll head down to the gas station and put some gas in a gas can for you." He wiped his hands off on his jeans and started out of the garage.

I sat on the porch again waiting for him to get back. He returned a little later, gas can in tow. He shut off the truck and filled it up with gas.

"How much do I owe you?" I reached into my wallet and started going through my cash. I'd cashed that check Alice gave me when Jasper and I went into town a few days ago.

"It's on me. I didn't even really do anything."

"No Seth. I can't do that. I need to pay you something."

"Just give me twenty for the gas and we'll call it even." He smiled.

I handed him a twenty dollar bill and thanked him for all his help.

"You know I can see that you're going through….something right now. But just know that if you ever need to talk or anything I'm a really good listener. Or if you just need some company or want to go grab a drink I'm down."

"Thanks. I might take you up on that."

Seth took off and I decided to at least start painting the porch. It looked terrible and it was always one of my favorite parts of the house.

I grabbed the paint I'd found in the basement and a paintbrush. I slipped on some scruffy jeans and an old t-shirt before I started, and thank God I did because not only did it splatter but also I somehow managed to sit in paint. My assprint was all over the ground.

My phone started ringing again and I assumed it was Edward…again. I wiped my hands on my jeans and picked it up. _Jasper._

"Hello?"

"Hey Bells. How's everything going?"

"Really well. My truck is up and running and I'm painting the porch." I picked up my paintbrush and started going at it again.

"Great that's good to hear." He cleared his throat. "Listen. Edward was here."

I dropped the paintbrush even through I was expecting it at some point. It fell perfectly down my shirt and landed between my boobs.

"He was?" I squeaked.

"Yeah. I guess he decided to try bringing you flowers since the frozen dinners obviously didn't work."

"What did he say?"

"Well he asked for you. And I told him you weren't here. He didn't believe me of course and he looked a little more irritable than usual. I wouldn't doubt that he hasn't been sleeping."

"Do not make me feel bad for him right now."

"I'm not trying to make you feel anything. I'm just the messenger."

"Okay go on."

"Anyway he gets pissed and pushes the door open. Goes into your room. Sees that most of your clothes are gone and totally freaks out. Keeps asking where you are and I told him that you wanted to be alone. I thought he was going to fucking hit me."

"That's it?"

"He left the flowers here do you want me to read the card to you?"

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. _No._

"Read it to yourself first and make an assessment," I stuttered.

"Okay just a second." I heard him set the phone down and shuffle some papers around. "I think you should hear it. I mean I don't know if it'll make a difference or not, but he did write it to you."

"Okay fine," I sighed.

"Bella, I know I said I wasn't going to go the flower route but I'm desperate. I messed up, but it's not the way you think I did. I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you and I just need you to come back to me. I don't know how to breathe without you. I love you."

I held my breath the entire time he was reading.

"You okay?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah," I whispered.

"Do you want me to…relay a message or anything?"

"No." I cleared my throat. "Thanks for letting me know about it though."

"No problem. I'll let you get back to your painting."

"Okay bye." I hung up and put my phone back in the chair. I bent down to pick up the paintbrush and paused. I closed my eyes as my hand gripped the handle, almost too hard.

It was so frustrating to love and hate someone at the same time. I told myself to stop. I told my heart to stop aching for him and I told my head to stop thinking about him. He didn't deserve my attention.

My shoulders heaved as I picked up the tray of paint and hurled it out into the yard. I screamed and watched the paint splatter all over the newly cut grass.

I took a deep breath and went inside, not even bothering to take care of anything. I walked directly upstairs and took a bath to try and relax. I was way too on edge to do anything else right now.

I finished up with my bath and wrapped a towel around myself as I stepped out of the bathroom. My eyes instantly went to her bedroom. The door was closed and I hadn't had the strength to go in there yet. Jasper went in to check and make sure everything was okay in there but I just…can't. I slowly walked over and brushed my fingers across the handle, the metal cool against my skin.

A flood of images started rushing back to me, most of them very unpleasant. Unfortunately most of the good memories of this room were tainted by the bad. I watched her get sick in this room. I watched her hair fall out in this room. I watched her get sicker and sicker while I was completely helpless. There's a lot of emotion and energy in there and it was so overwhelming I felt my hand starting to shake.

I shook my head as the tears started rolling down my cheek. I pulled my hand away and retreated back to my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I threw some pajamas on, not even bothering to comb through my wet hair. I pulled the covers over my head and cried myself to sleep for the third night in a row. I told myself tomorrow would be better and this would be the last time I would do this. The last time.

**A/N: So if you're wondering how long the angst is going to last, I'm never one to drag it out excessively but it's also not realistic after a huge blow out like that for them to make up right away. Sorry. My awesome prereader secamimom says "Dear GSM readers. All will be well. Trust me." So please bare with me through this little hiccup and I promise it'll be worth it. : )**

**My recc for this week is one I just started yesterday, yes it's that damn good. It's only 3 chapters in but I'm completely hooked and I know you will be too. Welcome to Paradise by Suzie55. Awesomely amazing hot boys. Nuff said.  
**

**Also some lil news tidbits. **

**I have FINALLY gotten the blog or at least the start of a blog up for Secret Life and I effin love it so far. There's a brand new never before posted teaser on there as well as the playlist for now. If you'd like to take a look, and I promise you do, the link is on my profile.**

**And this last bit is for any authors out there:**

**I've had this story idea in my head and it won't get out. Normally I would just get a little bit of it out and put it away for a later date. Well this one won't leave me alone. I've been thinking about doing a collaboration for some time now and wanted to talk to anyone interested about the *possibility* of working on one. I do have Secret Life coming up so I don't know when or how fast it would happen but I'd be open to some conversation. Here's a short premise, please don't steal it and make your own story without me, it would not get you on my good side. I'd obviously be open to suggestions and more collaboration on the plot ect. Not sure if anyone has seen Public Enemies with Johnny Depp but everytime I watch it, and I watch it a lot bc I'm more obsessive with Johnny Depp than Twilight, I know weird. Anyway all I kept thinking about was how great of fic it would be to have the Cullen's be bank robbers back in the 30's, like original gangster. I haven't looked around to see if anyone has something like that already but I have some great ideas. Let me know if you'd be interested in talking some more. I would recommend at least having an interest in history since we'd probably have to do a lot of research and if you haven't read my other stories I would do so, not so I get the hits but we'd have to mesh well as writers. I'll make sure to do the same for you.  
**


	26. Remove Head from Sphincter, Then Drive!

**A/N: Thanks for sticking through the angst. It's over soon I promise. And anyone who knows where the title of this chapter came from is fucking awesome. And even if you don't you're still fucking awesome.**

I've been here over four weeks. The house was finally starting to get back to the way it was, or as close as I could get it without my mom. I still hadn't been able to go into her room and I almost felt like this trip was starting to turn into something more than just dealing with the fallout of Edward. It was a big deal for me to stay in this house, in her house. It was a turning point.

Edward stopped calling about a week ago. I finally sat down last night and listened to his voicemails. The first half were full of "I'm sorry" and "I love you" and then they just got progressively more and more agitated. I could tell it was driving him crazy not being able to talk to me or know where I am and part of me liked that. The dark side of Edward deserved to suffer. He was always getting what he wanted and this was the one time he couldn't. Of course the other part of me was starting to miss my Edward. I hated admitting it after how he acted but I don't have control over who I miss. The heart wants and aches for who it chooses.

I'd found an old small television in the attic and finally turned it on last week. I thought by then the media would have died down and moved onto something else. I found myself watching a charity match that Edward was playing at and I cursed under my breath for torturing myself like that.

He looked pissed. More irritated than usual. He yelled at the other player, the line judges, the referee. I noticed him looking back to where I usually stood and his shoulders fell, almost like he forgot for the slightest moment that I wasn't there. He scratched his nose and walked back to the baseline. He must have had an itch or something because there's no way he was expecting me to be watching this.

I quickly flipped the television off and had been hesitant to turn it back on since then. It was like my remote was Edward radar and was out to torture me.

Seth had called me a couple of times, trying to get me to come out with them. I'd finally agreed and we were going to a bar tonight in Port Angeles, which is the only reason I'd agreed to go. Charlie tended to frequent the Forks' bars….or technically the one Forks' bar and I was still trying to keep a semi-low profile with him. I was a little less than thrilled that Leah was apparently going, but I guess if we were in a group it'd be okay. I just always had a feeling she wanted to rip my head off and feed it to the wolves or something.

I threw on some jeans and a t-shirt and jumped in the truck. I called Seth when I was close to Port Angeles so he could tell me where to go. I followed his directions and pulled up to a small building, neon signs hanging outside.

I parked the truck on the side of the building and took a deep breath before walking inside. I always got really nervous about hanging around with a ton of people I hardly knew. And even though the goal in coming to Forks was to be alone, I was going a little crazy being cooped up in that house all the time. I needed some social interaction no matter how much my palms were going to sweat.

I was instantly assaulted by the heavy smell of smoke and waved my hand in front of my nose. I scanned the crowded bar looking for Seth and finally spotted him in the large corner booth. He was surrounded by two guys…and Leah. He smiled when he saw me and waved me over.

I shuffled over and mumbled a quick hello.

"Bella this is Embry and Quil." I smiled at the two guys flanking him. They looked vaguely familiar and I assumed they must have gone to high school with us too. "And of course you remember Leah."

Leah took a sip of her beer and scowled my way. Even in my current situation it was unthinkable to me that someone could be that pissed off all the time. I'd be surprised if her face wasn't permanently distorted like that.

"Do you want something to drink?" Seth pushed Quil out of the way and stood up.

"Yeah sure."

He placed his hand on the small of my back and led me to the bar. "What'll it be?" He asked.

"Just a beer is fine."

"Can I get five beers please?" He asked the bar tender, whipping out some cash.

"Seth no. I already owe you for fixing my truck."

"It's done." He smiled at the bartender and grabbed the bottles, handing one to me.

We started back to the table and I ended up sitting between Seth and Embry. It was surprisingly easy to talk to them, even with Miss Grumpy Gills sitting across from us. They were all really nice and just…fun.

"So…Bella. What brought you back to the wonderful town of Forks?" Quil asked.

"Just uh…needed a break." I started spinning my empty beer bottle around.

"Waitress!" He yelled. "A round of shots please."

She returned a few minutes later and laid the shot glasses down. Quil handed one to everyone and held his up.

"To taking a break!" He smiled.

"To breaks!" I echoed. Everyone clinked their glasses together and down the shots. I grimaced as it burned my throat and shook my head.

A few beers later I was a notch past tipsy and somehow Quil had pulled me out onto the dance floor to dance to that God-awful song about not trusting hoes or whatever it was called. Seemed like pretty obvious advice to me, but I guess there are some that needed the advice.

"You're a great dancer!" Quil teased as I was jumping around. I guess I wasn't really dancing. It was more like flailing my arms around and whipping my hair. It was nice to finally let go though so I didn't care that I looked like an idiot. Like he was doing much better with his sprinkler move and robot.

Seth eventually came and rescued me, toting me over to a corner over by the bar.

"I thought you looked like you needed some rescuing," he said, taking a sip of his beer.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"So are you having a good time?"

"Yeah I really like everyone."

He bit down on his lip and smirked. I studied his face for a moment and smiled. I don't know if I was just really drunk or I genuinely felt this way but I thought he was gorgeous.

"You know I never told you this…" he leaned down close to me and placed his arm on the wall above my head. "I always had a huge crush on you in high school."

"No you didn't," I laughed.

"I did. But you were a year ahead of me and I was a scared little underclassmen."

"Yeah I probably wouldn't have been into the whole cougar thing," I shrugged playfully.

"And now?"

"I think I might be open to it…" I smirked.

I was flirting with him. How was this even possible? I mean he was definitely hot but I just didn't expect this at all when I came here. I wasn't even thinking about guys, but was I thinking about them now?

"Would you be open to an experiment? You know to test out this new…openness." He mumbled.

"Sure."

He licked his lips and inched forward. I held my breath a moment before he pressed his lips to mine. It didn't feel as weird as I thought it would. In fact I kind of liked it. It was somewhere between the nothing I felt with Jake and the everything I felt with Edward.

After a moment I found myself kissing him back. He smiled against my lips and pushed me back into the wall, pressing his body flush with mine. His hands tightly gripped my hips and slid south, just barely grazing over my ass.

I reached up and twisted my fingers through his hair, distracted for the slightest moment that it wasn't as long as I was used to. I allowed myself to really let go and lightly ran my tongue along his bottom lip. He groaned and pushed his hips into mine, ducking away from my lips and placing light kisses along my jaw.

I looked behind us and saw all eyes at our table were focused on us. Quil and Embry started cheering obnoxiously and Leah held her usual glare.

"You wanna go outside with me?" I whispered.

He nodded and spun around, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the crowd. He led me out of the bar and around to the side of the building, where my truck was the lonely occupant of that parking lot.

He pressed me up against the side of the building and instantly pressed his lips back to mine. His hands ghosted along my sides and down my legs before he grabbed them and pulled them up around his waist.

I whimpered as he palmed his hands over my breasts and arched myself towards him. He reached for the hem of my shirt and ducked his hand underneath, rubbing small circles on my stomach.

I jumped as I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket.

"Don't answer it…" He pleaded against my lips.

I ignored my vibrating butt until it did it again. Something felt off.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "Just give me one minute okay?" I untangled myself from him and pulled out my phone, not bothering to look at the caller I.D. "Hello?" I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to catch my breath.

"Bella?" Rosalie said. She sounded pissed…or upset.

"Rose? What's wrong?"

"It's Edward."

The panic started to rise in my throat as I gently pushed Seth away and took a few steps.

"What do you mean? Is he okay? Is he hurt?" I asked.

"No but he will be if he doesn't stop acting like he is."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to kill him."

I sighed and pulled my hair over my shoulder as I leaned back against my truck.

"Why are you calling me?" I asked.

"Well I have two reasons actually. First of all his attitude problem…is through the roof. Like imagine what it was like before and times that by a thousand. And when he's not bitching he's so fucking emo that I feel depressed just being around him."

"And why is this my problem?" I tried to sound uninterested, but I was. I didn't expect him to be like that and I didn't really understand it.

"Because we all know it's because of you and I think that there's something you should know."

"Okay fine."

"Edward told me everything that happened that night…with Tanya."

"I don't want to hear this Rose. Please." I fought back the tears starting to form. I wasn't interested in hearing all the raunchy details and honestly it made me wonder why she was really calling.

"No you need to hear it. He told me that she tried to hit on him, even tried to kiss him when they were out in the lobby but he pushed her away and went looking for you. And that you found…things in his jacket pocket."

"And?"

"And I know exactly what those things were because I found them right before the French Open."

"I don't understand."

"A condom wrapper and a red lacy thong with cherry shaped beads hanging from the front right?"

"Yeah."

"I found those after one of his romps at the French Open…in that same pocket. I shoved them back in because I didn't want to get a disease and told him to take care of it. He was supposed to take that jacket in to get it dry cleaned but is it really that surprising that he didn't do what I told him to?"

"Rosalie do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"Do you honestly think those skanky panties would show up twice? That would be so incredibly Twilight Zone Bella" She sighed. "And that's beside the point. He wasn't lying to you. He's in love with you and he wouldn't cheat on you sweetie. I know when he's lying to me. I know I can be a bitch and I know he's an asshole but we have an understanding. I don't put up with his shit. How do you think I knew about you two?"

"I thought you just figured it out."

"Well I had my suspicions, I'll be honest. And when I confronted him about it he tried to lie and I saw right through it. It's like I can see his Pinocchio nose growing whenever he lies."

I felt the tears starting to spill down my cheeks and I quickly wiped them away.

"I'm not saying he's an angel Bella, but I know him. He's different with you than he's been with anyone and I honestly miss that. So can you just…call him or something? He's going crazy without you."

"Has he been with…anyone else?"

"I don't think so. He locks himself in his room every night so I don't think he's been with anybody but himself if you know what I mean. And even that's questionable. He's been way too irritable lately." She sighed. "Bella I have to go, but please just…think about it."

"Okay I will," I mumbled.

"And one more thing…."

"Yeah."

"I miss you."

"I miss you too."

I hung up and leaned my head back against my truck.

"Is everything okay?" Seth came up beside me.

"I'm sorry. I need to go home." This was a mistake. Seth was a nice guy but this was a mistake.

"Okay well you've had too much to drink to drive yourself home. I'll call our DD. I'm sure he'd be happy to give you a lift."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. That's what he's there for." He picked up his phone and held it to his ear. "Hey Sam can you come get me and Bella…Yeah Bella Swan. She just needs a ride back to her place." He smiled and hung up.

We waited outside for Sam and Seth didn't try anything, which was nice of him. Not that I thought he was like that, but we'd gone from making out to me looking like I was on the verge of an emotional breakdown so I can't imagine that was normal.

A car eventually pulled up and Seth opened the door for me. I recognized the guy in the driver's seat and the girl sitting beside him.

"Bella I'm sure you remember Sam Ulley," Seth said. "And his fiancée Emily."

"Sure." I nodded. "Thanks for picking us up."

"No problem," Sam said.

I leaned over to Seth. "So the DD that is driving Leah home from the bar is her ex-boyfriend and his current fiancée that is her cousin?" I whispered.

"Yep."

"No wonder she's so pissed all the time."

He laughed and put his arm around my shoulder as we rode home.

Sam and Emily waited in the driveway while Seth walked me up to the door.

"Thanks…for tonight. I'm sorry I kind of whacked out at the end there. I had a really good time," I said.

"No problem. We should do it again."

"Yeah. Definitely." Just because I was maybe going to call Edward didn't mean anything. I could still hang out with Seth. I didn't think I would try kissing him again because after that phonecall I realized just how wrong it was.

He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek before turning back to the car. I went inside and immediately started pacing around my living room.

I hated this. What if Rosalie was just saying all this because she's on his side? But why would she lie for him, it doesn't benefit her at all. What if she was just sick of his shitty attitude and was willing to do anything to cure it? On the other hand if she was telling the truth then I was an epic douchebag. I told him I was going to trust him and at the first sign of trouble I bailed. It was a pretty extreme circumstance but then again hadn't everything with Edward been kind of extreme? It wasn't very plausible but it was possible. Almost so absurd that it had to be the truth.

I walked down in the basement and found some of the liquor my mother had stored down there. I grabbed the strongest one, even though I probably didn't need any more alcohol, and headed back upstairs. I poured myself a glass and kept staring at my phone.

I wanted to hear his voice, but I didn't know if I could carry a conversation with him. What was I supposed to say? I think you might have been telling the truth and I royally fucked up?

I downed the rest of my glass and picked up my phone. I dialed his number and held the phone up to my ear, my leg bouncing anxiously up and down. It rang a few times and I thought for a moment about just hanging up, but he'd still have a missed call from me. I breathed a sigh of relief when his voicemail picked up. I smiled when I heard his voice and felt the ache in my heart. I miss him.

"Edward…it's me. I was just calling to see how you were. I um…Rosalie called and I just…" I didn't know what else to say. Epic fail of a voicemail. "Fuck!" I screamed, closing my phone. I sat there for a moment before I started upstairs.

I changed into my pajamas and crawled in bed, wiping the tears away from my eyes. I held my phone in front of me and kept flipping it open and closed. I must have fallen asleep with it in my hands because I woke in the middle of the night with it vibrating against my skin.

I blinked a few times, trying to wake myself up, and saw his name across the screen. All the confidence I had earlier was completely gone and I didn't know if I could say anything to him. I took a deep breath, flipped open the phone and held it to my ear.

"Bella?" He said. His voice was low…and sad. Really, really sad.

I didn't say anything but he knew I was there. We just sat there for a long time listening to each other breathing. I had no idea what to say to him or if anything I said would mean anything. So I didn't.

"Baby I miss you so much," he whispered, his voice breaking at the end. I panicked and hung up the phone before I completely broke down. I'm such a fucking coward. I shouldn't have answered the damn phone.

I never went back to sleep. I finally pulled myself out of bed around seven in the morning and went to my makeshift darkroom in the hall closet. Jasper had helped me knock out a few of the shelves, only leaving me with what I needed. It was a little odd to have a walk in closet in a hallway but my mom had always used it to store linens and such. It was dark with no windows so it worked perfectly. My red light was taped to the ceiling and my trays were all scattered around. It was less than ideal but it served its purpose.

I walked over to where I stored my undeveloped film and pulled out the roll I'd been avoiding. I knew they had a ton of pictures of him on it, but I couldn't avoid it anymore. I was going to develop them at some point anyway.

I started developing them, watching his face and his body slowly appear on the film. I winced as I started hanging them up around me and I was suddenly completely surrounded by him. It was suffocating. I turned my light off and quickly left the closet, slamming the door behind me.

I grabbed my phone and headed out on the porch.

"Hello?" Jasper said.

"Hey," I whispered.

"Hey honey how are you?"

"I'm okay I guess."

"Yeah. What have you been up to? I haven't talked to you all week." I heard him munching on what sounded like chips in the background.

"Not much really. I uh…I went out with Seth and his friends last night."

"Yeah? Did you have fun?"

"I kissed him," I blurted out. "Or I guess he kissed me but I let him and now I don't know what I'm doing." I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.

"Well that's an interesting development."

"Yeah. Totally unexpected."

"Well what do you think?"

"About what?"

"About the interesting development."

I leaned up against the porch and looked out over the lawn. Even after all this time there were still a few paint spots on the lawn that refused to be washed away by the rain.

"Well I didn't hate it but….Rosalie called in the middle."

"Yeah I had a feeling that would be happening soon. She has to put up with most of his shit since he isn't really talking to Alice."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They're both stubborn you know."

"So has he really been that bad?"

"Honestly yes. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't think it would be good for you."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "I don't think he cheated on me," I whispered.

"Welcome to the club."

"It doesn't matter though. I'm still too afraid to face him. I tried to call him last night and left the most awkward voicemail ever, like it would probably win an award or something. And then he called me back in the middle of the night and I didn't say anything."

"Well what did he say?"

"That he missed me."

I could almost see him shrugging at me through the phone.

"Does he still ask you where I am?" I asked.

"Not really. I think he just assumes that you don't want to be found. Is that still true?"

"I don't know. I mean I don't think I'm ready to come back to Seattle yet, but I…I just don't know."

"Listen Bella. I know this thing you two have is complicated, but you'll find each other when you're ready to be found, whether you consciously know it or not."

"Yeah."

"Jasper!" Alice yelled in the background.

"Oh my God Jasper! Has she been there this whole time you were talking to me?"

"Yeah. She says hi."

"I'm sure she did," I said sarcastically.

"No she just got here I'm just kidding."

"You're an ass," I laughed. "But I love you. And thanks for listening. I'll let you go."

"I love you too. I'll talk to you later."

I hung up and headed back inside to make myself something to eat.

I tried not to think about everything, just let it happen like Jasper said, but it was so hard. It was like everything I thought I knew was getting all twisted around and it was making me all disoriented. Why couldn't things just be simple? Why can't two people just be together and be in love without all this extra bullshit? I knew it was all a fairytale concept and no one had a perfect relationship, but this was insane.

I felt my anger slowly starting to fade away each day. It wasn't completely gone because I knew in my heart that he still messed up, but it wasn't as big of a mess as I thought it was originally. All the anger was replaced by the overwhelming love I felt for him. And with the love came the fear. Even though he told me he missed me I was so scared that he didn't want me anymore after everything. I let him down and he'd basically kept up his end of the bargain. It was foolish of me to think we were never going to get tested. And this was like the fucking SAT, the biggest test of them all. I just hoped we would eventually pass with flying colors.

**A/N: So Bella is slowly and surely pulling her head out of her ass. And I know a few of you were worried about Seth, there's nothing to worry about. He's genuinely a nice guy and there isn't going to be any shenanigans with him and Bella. He was part of the reason she started the removal of the head from the ass. Our girl may be smart but she's a stubborn cookie and needed something to knock her on her feet. Seth and Rosalie's phone call was the perfect combination. I hope you stick with it. The next chapter will be very rewarding I promise ; )**

**Please go vote in the outtake poll if you haven't already. I'm leaving it up until Friday so I can hopefully get it written for you guys this weekend. **

**Thanks for all your responses about my story idea. We'll see if it goes anywhere. I hope it does. I'd be excited to write it someday. Also keep an eye out because my prereader along with some other awesomesauces are working on an author awards site that is fun and unlike any other out there. I'll post any news either here or on my actual profile. You won't want to miss it.  
**


	27. Faithfully

**A/N: The song in this chapter is "Faithfully" by Journey. Unfortunately something with the playlist site is messed up so I can't add it to the playlist quite yet. **

I hadn't heard from Edward in almost a week, since the almost conversation we had. I hung out with Seth a few times. He'd always kiss me on the cheek when he came over, but he never went past that. I think we both knew there was a big fat elephant in the room now. And his name was Edward. As soon as I thought about it all I could see was an elephant sitting in the corner with a tennis racquet wrapped in his trunk. I think I was starting to go crazy. I'd been avoiding the television as much as possible just because I didn't even want to chance it. I was fucking embarrassed for the way I acted and the fact that it took me so long to realize it. I don't even deserve Edward's love.

When my phone rang at six in the morning, I was ready to curse out whoever was calling me. I'd been sleeping in fairly well the last few days and I wasn't too happy about being interrupted. Plus I'd had a fair amount of wine the night before and passed out around nine.

I reached out for my phone and panicked when I saw it was Alice. Why the hell would she be calling me right now?

I took a deep breath and answered. "Alice."

"Is he with you?" She snapped.

"What?"

"I said is he with you?"

"No. Why would he be with me, I don't even think he knows where I am."

"You obviously haven't seen the news. Nevermind." She hung up as I reached frantically for the remote. I turned it on and flipped to ESPN. I had a really bad feeling and I had a hunch it had something to do with tennis. Alice wouldn't have called me if it wasn't serious and the fact that she had no idea where he was had me terrified.

Whatever it was they weren't talking about it at the moment. They were in the middle of a story on James and how he'd plead guilty to assault and battery. He was put on probation and had to pay a huge ass fine, but it wasn't enough as far as I was concerned. Apparently he'd lost all his sponsors and was struggling. I finally spotted Edward's name at the bottom of the screen.

"Oh my God," I whispered as I read the words scrolling across. _Steroid Scandal: Edward Cullen suspended by Tennis Association. _This can't happen to him. It's all he has.

I reached for my phone again as the tears started coming down. I dialed his number, no longer scared of what to say to him. I just had to talk to him. It rang and rang and finally went to voicemail. I didn't leave a message; I just hung up and tried again.

"Come on Edward," I whispered. I wiped the tears away and looked through my missed calls to see if I had any from him through the night. With the wine I'd had I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't hear it. There were five missed calls from Jasper, but nothing else. I called him back, hoping he could give me something. Anything.

"Bella," he answered.

"Jasper," I cried. "What happened? I don't understand."

"Alice got a call yesterday, late afternoon. There was this emergency meeting called with some type of council and they claimed they had evidence of performance enhancer's in Edward's system."

"He didn't. Jasper I know he didn't do it. He doesn't even drink a lot because he thinks it affects his game too much, do you really think he would do something that stupid? It means too much to him."

"No I agree with you, but they suspended him anyway. He's barred from any tournaments until…or if they ever reinstate him."

I started crying harder, not able to hold it in. This was going to kill him.

"So where is he?" I screamed.

"We don't know. He was silent through the entire meeting with the council and then he just…took off. No one's heard from him."

"Okay please just…call me if you hear anything."

"Of course."

I hung up and threw my phone down on the bed. I was a nervous wreck the entire rest of the day. I kept trying to call Edward and every time it just went to his voicemail. I even called Jake just to get some reassurance. I wasn't sure if they were close enough that he would go to him, but I was grasping at straws.

"I'm scared for him," I whispered.

"It's going to be okay Bella," Jake said. "He'll show up. He's probably just drunk in a hotel somewhere."

"You don't understand. Tennis is his life. It's literally all he has, he doesn't have anything but tennis." I shook my head.

"Bella you were his life. I know how much tennis can become a part of you, I get it. But he'll bounce back. Speaking of you, where the hell are you?"

"How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That we…broke up. Or whatever."

"He called me."

I nodded and sniffled. "I'm staying at my mother's old house in Forks. I just…I needed some time away. The media was so awful and I knew he was going to be persistent."

"That's understandable. Are you doing okay?"

"I was doing okay until this morning."

"Well I'll try to call him okay? Just don't cry. I'll try my best and let you know if I talk to him."

"Okay thanks Jake."

"No problem."

I stayed glued to the television the rest of the night, drinking coffee to stay awake. I winced every time that damn headline scrolled across the screen. They did quite a few actual reports on it, but it wasn't anything I didn't know. They had no new information to give me, but I still refused to walk away.

I finally fell asleep in my chair out in the living room with the television still on. I woke up the next morning to a loud crack of thunder and I pulled the covers close to me. I looked towards the television to see if they had anything new, but there was nothing. Nobody knew a fucking thing.

I jumped as another crack of thunder echoed out. I'd been lucky enough the past six weeks that we hadn't had a major storm. I mean it rained…a lot. It wouldn't be Forks if it didn't, but there was never anything like this. I pulled the blanket up with me as I started to the kitchen to make myself some coffee. I glanced out into the backyard and sighed, watching the heavy sheets of rain pour down.

I poured a cup of coffee and went back into the living room to shut the television off. I couldn't stand it anymore. They just kept showing the same picture of him over and over. I thought I should probably try and get some decent sleep in an actual bed because my neck was already killing me from sleeping in that chair.

Just as my foot hit the first step I thought I heard soft music coming from outside. I shook my head and told myself it was just the rain and I was imagining it, but I couldn't get my foot to take the next step. Something was pulling me to the window and I couldn't explain it.

I took a few tentative steps towards the front window, setting my coffee cup down along the way. The music was definitely there, even though it was muffled by the loud clamoring of the rain. I pulled back the curtains and my breath hitched in my throat.

There was a car in my driveway. The music was coming from the car, who's windows, despite the rain, were all down. Edward stood in front of the car, looking up at the house. He didn't try to protect himself from the rain. He just let it soak into his gray t-shirt.

The look on his face was so lost, so incredibly desperate that it made my heart ache. The next thing I knew my feet were moving, going so fast that I almost stumbled over the rug by the front door. I ran out onto the porch and into the rain, coming to an abrupt stop just short of crashing into Edward.

We just stared at each other, taking each other in. His hair was dripping wet and he must have been freezing just standing out here in the rain, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn't complaining.

"How did you know where I was?" I mumbled.

"Jake," he said.

I nodded and looked down at my feet. This was even more awkward than I thought it would be, despite that fact that I'm ecstatic to see him.

"I…I heard the news. I'm really…"

"Listen I just need a place to stay for awhile. If you don't want me here I'll go somewhere else." He crossed his arms in front of him.

"Oh. No it's okay. Come on in."

He grabbed his bag from the trunk and something from the passenger's seat as he turned the car off.

"And just for the record," he said, brushing past me. "I'm fucking pissed at you." He glared at me once more and started into the house. I guess I deserved that.

He was waiting at the bottom of the stairs when I got inside, his bag still slung over his shoulder.

"Uh…there's a guest room up here." I nodded up the stairs and told my feet to move.

We both stumbled up the stairs and I led him to the extra room beside my mother's. I made sure he had clean sheets and enough blankets. The house can get a little drafty at night, especially when it's raining.

"There's a bathroom down the hall if you want to take a shower or something. There should be towels there. Do you need anything else?" I asked.

He shook his head and started pulling some clothes out of his duffel.

"Okay. My room's at the end of the hall and help yourself to anything in the kitchen." I felt like I was being so formal with him but I felt the distance. I could literally feel the rift between us and I didn't know how else to be. I should be down at his feet groveling, begging for forgiveness, but he's the one who said it. He just needed a place to stay. This isn't about us. I came here when I didn't want to be found and I guess he just wants the same thing. Although it still surprised the fuck out of me that he came here. And almost made me hyperventilate.

I turned around and left, closing the door behind me. I ran to my room to call Jasper because I was about to have a panic attack. I kept it together as much as I could when I was around Edward but I was about to lose it.

"Bells?"

"He's here…" I whispered, trying to catch my breath. "He's here and he's pissed and I don't know what to do. Why is he here?" I covered my mouth and felt the tears slip down my cheeks.

"Do you want me to come down there?"

"No. I just…I don't know what to say to him." I sat down on my bed and rested my head back. "How do you even begin to apologize to someone for what I did?"

"Just be honest honey. That's all you can do."

I jumped as Edward cleared his throat and stepped into my doorway.

"I have to go…Don't tell Alice please. Just tell her you heard from him okay?" I mumbled to Jasper. I closed my phone and threw it down on the bed.

"I lied," Edward said.

"Excuse me?"

"When you asked if I needed something." He shook his head and I saw his fists clench at his sides. "I needed you to fucking trust me. I needed you to…believe in me! Why couldn't you do that huh? Why did you have to jump to the worst fucking conclusion when I have done nothing to earn your distrust? I was faithful to you Bella and you threw it back in my fucking face. I mean do you know how it feels to love and hate someone at the same time? Because that's what I'm dealing with right now. "

I buried my head in my hands and started bawling. "You're right," I mumbled. "I fucked it up. I'm sor-"

"Don't you dare tell me you're sorry because it's not enough!" He pointed his finger at me and I cowered back. "Don't you get it?" He tugged at his hair and turned to leave. "You said…you trusted me. I've been completely honest with you and I just wish you would have done the same…"

"I panicked Edward! I fucking panicked okay? There is nothing that I can do or say that will take that back no matter how wrong I was. I hate that I did that to you. I hate myself for that. And you want me to be honest? I think I was always waiting for something to happen. And that's a shitty thing to do, but that's the truth. And then after I realized I fucked up and it never would I knew I couldn't go back. I was too embarrassed."

"You didn't think we were worth being embarrassed for?"

"We are worth everything to me!" I cried. "I thought I lost you and I even tried to move on. I tried. I fucking kissed another guy and I still couldn't get you out of my head! You are my entire heart and I broke it. I broke us." I pointed at my chest. "I did! And I guess if you hate me I have to face the consequences and own up to that. It was me! Are you fucking happy?"

"No." He turned around and stomped out the room. I heard his door slam shut a moment later.

I didn't see him for an entire week after that. I assumed he had to leave his room to use the bathroom and sneak something to eat but he always did it without me knowing. I almost thought I'd dreamed him coming here and that I was really alone. If it weren't for the creak of the floorboards every now and then behind his door I would have believed it.

I was surprised when I finally heard him coming down the stairs while I was washing dishes. I barely glanced his way as he walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He pulled out a bottle of water and started back towards the stairs.

"You aren't going to talk to me?" I mumbled. I spun around so I could face him.

"I have nothing to say."

My fist involuntarily tightened around the sprayer hose from the sink and it squirted across the room and hit him square in the face. He glanced down at his water-splattered shirt and then looked back at me.

"Were you trying to fucking hit me?" He asked.

"No. It was an accident." I turned back to the sink and continued with my work. It was an honest mistake.

"Accident my ass." He stomped over, scooped up a handful of suds and threw them in my face.

"You are such an asshole!" I screamed. I was pissed now.

I grabbed the sprayer and hit him on purpose this time. He closed his eyes and reached out blindly for the sprayer to stop me. We struggled a little in the process, both of us getting completely drenched. We eventually both ended up on the floor, rolling around trying to get control. He grabbed onto my shoulders and pushed me down, practically falling on top of me. The sprayer hose completely slipped from both of our hands and fell against the cabinet.

He cleared his throat and shifted his weight on top of me. I sighed when I felt his hardness against my stomach.

"Really Edward? Right now?"

"I'm sorry. God what to you want me to do, it's a natural reaction."

"Are you going to get off me?"

His brow furrowed as he watched me, not making any move to get up. His face was inches from mine and all I wanted to do was slap him and then kiss him. This whole love/hate thing he was talking about was real as ever and I was feeling it right now.

I glanced down at his lips and licked mine in unwarranted anticipation. He leaned his head down to my hair and closed his eyes, almost like he was trying to take in my scent. I shivered and shifted my body underneath his, unconsciously looking for the slight friction I'd found earlier. Despite my best efforts to fight it I was really turned on. Even if he was an angry Edward he was still Edward.

He brushed his nose down my jaw and my neck. I wanted him to taste me so bad, but he didn't. He pulled back and stared into my eyes. His were dark and hooded, almost affected by the obvious tension between us. It didn't matter what kind it was, it was apparent that it was manipulating both of us.

"I need to…feel…" He stuttered. "Can I have you?"

I took a few shaky breaths before slowly inching my head up towards his. I glanced up into his eyes as I brushed my lips across his. He answered immediately, capturing my mouth roughly in his. I moaned as he took my lip between his teeth and bit hard. He pulled back a little and reached for my pajama shorts, quickly discarding them on the floor beside us. I pulled his down just enough to eliminate the barrier between us. Skin on skin.

It wasn't about love. It was about that intense withdrawal that I always felt with him. It was becoming obvious that he felt the same way about me. I was his drug as much as he was mine. I had no idea at the time if it meant anything more than that but I wanted it. For this moment he was giving me him, and even if it was the last time he would I was going to take it because I was selfish.

He slammed into me so rough that we slid a little across the flooded floor. I cried out and reached behind him, cupping his ass and pushing him deeper.

We didn't speak or barely make a sound as he thrust his hips to mine. The only noise in the room was our labored breathing, coming out in short sputters in complete sync with one another.

I felt him tense and I knew he was close. I wasn't really concerned about me. I was just happy be with him again, I didn't need the satisfaction of finishing to find my release. He was it.

He surprised me when he reached down between us, finding where our bodies connected, and started working me with his fingers. I quickly peaked and flew over the edge a moment before he did.

He rested his forehead against mine as we waited to come down, even though I questioned if I ever would. He eventually rolled off me and pulled on his pajama pants before handing me mine. I slipped them on and ran my fingers through my hair.

He walked over to the closet and grabbed a mop without a word, and started cleaning up the mess. I cleared my throat and pulled my clingy, gross shirt away from my body before helping him. When we were finished we both started up the stairs, I'm assuming to change out of these wet clothes.

We separated and went to our respective rooms, not bothering to close our doors. We both stripped down and I headed into the bathroom. I threw my clothes into the bathtub and grabbed my towel from the rack. I wrapped it around my body as I started back to my room.

I started drying myself off and ringing my hair out when I heard him step in my room behind me.

"Um…there's no more towels," he said.

"Oh. Sorry. Here you can have this one." I handed him mine and he disappeared back into the hallway. I pulled on some new, dry pajamas and crawled into bed.

"Do you want this back?" He stepped back into my room wearing his own new outfit and held up my towel.

"You can just throw it there." I pointed to my laundry basket and he did as I asked.

"So…" Edward just stood there watching me, his eyes conflicted as he stared between me and the door.

I hesitated before pulling back the covers, inviting him to join me. This was a test. If anything down in that kitchen was more than just angry sex he might come and lay with me. I didn't expect him to but I was done being embarrassed about what I'd done. He asked me before if we were worth being embarrassed for. I'm not afraid of being rejected right now because I'll know I at least put myself out there. Okay I was fucking terrified but I still did it anyway.

I smiled to myself as he took a few steps forward and crawled in. I pulled the blankets over us and sighed. We started out at opposite ends of the bed and eventually drifted off to sleep, but when I woke up everything was different. We were sharing a pillow and had somehow found each other in the mess.

.I reached my hand up and brushed his hair away from his face. His eyes fluttered a little and finally opened.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hi." I took a deep breath and withdrew my hand. "Where did you go?"

"When?"

"These past few days. Everyone's been worried about you."

"Were you worried?"

"I was terrified," I admitted.

"After the council meeting I went home and packed a bag. I just drove…all night. I had no idea where I was going, but I couldn't stay there."

"What were you looking for?"

"You." He paused. "I tried to think of anywhere that you might be. I even almost called your dad just in case, but I guess I knew you better than that." He smiled slightly.

"But I called you…"

"I ended up drunk as hell at a bar when I couldn't find you. I didn't even know you called until later when I called Jake."

"Are you…okay?" I asked, hoping he knew what I meant.

"How would you feel having your photography ripped away from you for something you didn't do?"

"Devastated." I didn't need anymore explanation than that. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now." His brow furrowed as he inched forward. We were so close our noses brushed together. "I understand if you don't want me, but I just needed you to know that I'm so in love with you and I felt like half of me was missing when you left, even when I was mad at you. And now that the other half of me is gone I don't know what to do. I don't know who I am."

"Tennis does not define you Edward. You are so much more than that."

"You think so?" He stared at me and I realized he really believed what he was saying.

"Hey," I whispered. I felt brave so I brushed my lips against his, feeling it all the way in my toes just from the slightest contact. He gently grabbed my head, holding my face to his. It was the most tender kiss I've ever experienced and I would remember it for the rest of my life.

When I pulled back, his cheeks were glistening with tears.

"What's wrong?" I asked, brushing them away.

"I didn't think you'd want me anymore." He shook his head. "I mean I'm nothing," he whispered.

"I want you," I mumbled. I grabbed his face and forced his eyes to mine. "Edward I want you. I don't want to ever make the mistakes I made again." I hooked my legs through his and laced my fingers with his. "I never thought I could face you after everything. I didn't think you'd want me."

"I want you too." He pressed his lips to mine again. "So tell me about the guy."

"The guy?"

"The guy you kissed."

"Why do you want to hear about that?" I shook my head. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"Look I just want to know if he's a good guy or if I have to kick his ass. And I hope he's a good guy. Because if I had done what you thought I'd done I would have wanted you to move on Bella. And I hope that you would have better taste in men the next time around. I want you to be happy."

I was little shocked by his confession. He would have actually wanted me to be with someone else if he'd hurt me. I think that spoke more about his growing maturity than anything. The Edward I first met would have never even whispered those words. It made me feel even worse about everything. I was the one sitting around waiting for him to mess up and it ended up being my stupid insecurities that did us in.

"I actually went to high school with him. He's a year younger than me."

"So you went cougar on me?" He genuinely smiled and it made me immensely happy, even though this was kind of a weird conversation to have with him.

"Yeah. He's a mechanic. He came over to fix my truck so I could actually get around town. We've hung out a few times, but its never gone beyond kissing and I think I knew all along it was because I'm still in love with you."

"I love you," he whispered, leaning forward and pressing his lips quickly to mine. "Have you seen your father?"

"No." I shook my head. "I don't even think he knows I'm here, I've been trying to avoid that situation at all costs. I don't want to see him."

"Pretty stealth. You've been in the same small town with him for a month and a half and you managed to stay hidden."

I shrugged. "I don't go into town if I don't need to and its not like he comes over here."

We stayed in bed for the next few days talking. God knows we had a lot to talk about and work through. I knew that talking was only the tip of the iceberg. The real test would be through our actions, or my actions considering I'm the one who needs to prove myself.

"Oh I almost forgot I have something for you." He leaned over and fumbled around in his bag. He handed me a CD case and smiled.

I almost laughed when I read the title that he'd scribbled across the front. _Edward's playlist for Bella when he fucks up or says something stupid._

"Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome. I figured I owed you some."

"I think I owe you a whole record collection." I put my hand over my stomach, trying to silence it. I guess we'd forgotten to eat today. "Are you hungry? I could try to make us something?"

"Does this something come from the freezer?"

"Hey you said you'd never complain about that again. But no, it's not from the freezer. I've actually been attempting to actually cook since I've been here."

"Sure. I'm starving. Is it okay if I take a shower first?"

"Yeah of course." I got up and pulled a sweatshirt on. "There's new towels under the sink and there should be everything that you need in there. I only have girly soap so sorry, you're going to have to use that."

"It's okay. I'll smell like you." He got up and started towards the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

I headed downstairs and got out some pasta and sauce for spaghetti. It was something easy. I said I was attempting to cook, not that I was Rachel Ray now.

I couldn't believe he was actually here now. Seven weeks ago my heart was broken. Three weeks ago I realized how badly I'd reacted. Nine days ago I was completely scared that I was going to lose him. And now he was upstairs taking a shower in my bathroom and telling me that he loved me and wanted to be with me. It just goes to show how quickly things can change.

I could tell something was different about him. I knew that not being able to play tennis was going to affect him and I hoped that I could help him through it, even though I had no idea how to do it. Maybe he was just like me. Maybe he just needed some time away. Hopefully during that time they could get this whole mess straightened out with the Tennis Association because someone definitely fucked up. And if Alice didn't take care of it I eventually would.

I knew the next tournament wasn't until the beginning of the new year so even though he should be training at least a little, he could benefit from this little break. Find himself again. Find who he is without being so competitive in tennis. Maybe I could get him to just go play with me for fun. They had courts over by the high school and it still wasn't absolutely freezing out.

"Wow that actually smells good…" he teased, walking into the kitchen. He pulled himself up on the counter and watched me cook.

There was a knock at the door and I asked if Edward could watch the noodles to make sure they didn't cook too much. I wiped my hands on my dishtowel and started towards the door.

My smile faded as soon as I opened the door.

"Seth," I squeaked.

"Hey. I'm sorry I see you must have company, I just…I saw the news okay and I wanted to make sure you were…okay…" He glanced behind me and laughed.

"You must be Seth." Edward came up behind me and held his hand out. "I'm Edward."

"Yeah I know." Seth smiled and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry, I don't want to bother you guys."

"No its fine. We were actually just going to eat, do you want to come in? We have plenty."

"No I couldn't."

"I insist." Edward opened the door further. "Come on in."

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering if this was a trick, but he seemed genuine in his invitation.

"O-okay." Seth nodded and stepped inside.

I felt a little awkward during our meal, but Edward and Seth actually got along really well. I just sat there eating my spaghetti while they talked.

"Well Bella." Edward sat back and put his hands over his stomach. "I was a little worried but you did good. That was delicious."

"Thanks," I laughed.

"She doesn't cook," Edward explained to Seth.

"Gotcha," Seth said. "Well I hate to eat and run, but I really should get going." He stood up and set his plate at the sink.

"I'll walk you out," I said.

"It was nice to meet you Seth," Edward said. He got up and started taking care of the leftovers and the dishes.

"Yeah you too." Seth and I disappeared out of the kitchen and towards the front door. "He's really nice," Seth said.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It's okay. I knew," he laughed. "I'm just surprised he's not the asshole they make him out to be."

"He has his moments," I teased.

"Good luck." He kissed me on the cheek and left.

I walked back to the kitchen to help Edward clean up.

"You're right. He is really nice," Edward said, wiping off a dish and putting it in the cupboard. "Coming over here to check if you were okay because your ex-boyfriend is in a bit of a situation," he teased. I had a feeling this whole joking about it thing was a defense mechanism. That small glimpse of his devastation that I saw earlier was only the tip of the iceberg, but I wasn't going to push him.

"I know. He's too nice. I didn't deserve that." I sighed and turned towards him. "And you aren't my ex-boyfriend."

"No?"

"No."

We finished the dishes and put away the leftover food.

"So what do you do here?" Edward asked as I gave him an official tour of the house.

"Uh…not much. Watch television. Read. Hang out outside. It took me a few weeks to get the house back in shape." I stopped when I came to my mother's room.

"What's this room?" He asked.

"My mom's," I admitted. "I haven't been able to go in. I've been too nervous."

"Why?"

"Just too much," I shrugged.

"Okay. Moving on." He pulled me down the hall and we were finally back in my room.

I decided to take a shower and when I came out Edward was lying in bed with nothing but his flannel pants on. I realized it was a little stuffy in here so I crossed the room and opened up a few windows.

"I don't want to push you, but I think it's important that you go into your mom's room."

"We'll work on it," I said, crawling into bed. "Are you going to talk about tennis?"

"We'll work on it."

I nodded and laid back. We obviously both had our demons to conquer and I was really happy he was here with me. I grabbed his hand and laced my fingers through his as I rested them both on my stomach.

"I love you Edward." I turned my head towards him.

"I love you too."

**A/N: I kinda like it when they fight...just sayin. Good thing for them to air it all out and Bella to finally admit to him that she effed their relationship in the a. I couldn't have them just get back together instantly and have it be all rainbows and butterflies because the Tennisward we all know and love would have to have a little blowup and make up sex. I'll also be adding the rest of Edward's cd when I can.**

**Reminders:**

**Remember to vote in the outtake poll. Last day to vote is Friday. The poll can be found on my profile up at the top and you can choose up to 2 outtake options.**

**Please check out the blog for my upcoming story Secret Life. It's got an exclusive teaser and the playlist. You can also sign up to get alerts when I post things on there, which I'll be doing a lot more than I did with GSM simply because I updated so often that I didn't have time between updates to post anything. I also just think its a really cool blog so give it a look. Link is on my profile.  
**

**The awards/recc site that I'm starting with a few other people finally has its blog up. It's nothing special right now but you can at least get a look at it. It's going to be really awesome and we'd appreciate your support. You can also sign up to get alerts on there. We're in the beginning stages so you'll want to be able to get news updates when we make some progress. It's called the Fanfiction High School Yearbook and I'll post the link on my profile.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, reccs, favorites, alerts, retweets. Don't tell Bella but Tennisward thinks the song he played in this chapter should be dedicated to all of you. Not sure if I'll be able to update tomorrow, I am actually going into work. :) Happy Hump Day.  
**


	28. Trick or Treat

The next couple of weeks consisted of a lot of groveling. It was full of sex, breakfast in bed, sex in bed, sex during breakfast and any other combination you might conjure up. I had a lot of making up to do and that was only the beginning. In between making up...like that we had a lot of serious talks about our relationship and were slowly but surely starting to make our way back to us. And I couldn't be more happy about it.

A few days before Halloween I started down the stairs and as soon as I hit the living room Edward turned the channel. I knew he was watching ESPN. I'd caught him four times since he's been here and every time I walk into the room he freaks out and changes it and I don't know why.

I cleared my throat and stepped in front of him.

"Edward…" I smiled and lowered myself onto his lap. "We need to talk about this."

"Talk about what?" He stared past me and started chewing on his lip.

"Why do you change the channel all the time? I know what you're watching."

He shrugged his shoulders. "No reason," he mumbled.

"It doesn't have anything to do with you looking to see if they'll overturn your suspension?"

"It doesn't matter if they do or not. I don't want to play anymore."

"Edward that isn't true. You love playing." I grabbed the remote from his fingers and turned off the TV.

"I did. And look how much it fucked up my life. I'm done with it."

"Stop."

"Stop what?"

"You've got to stop running away from things and completely shutting down when it gets hard."

"Maybe you should take some of your own advice…" He kinked his eyebrow at me.

"Um…so Seth invited us to his place for Halloween on Saturday. I guess he's having a party or something."

"Exhibit A." He leaned his head back on the couch. I wasn't avoiding anything. Seth had called me two days ago and I had to let him know soon. Plus Halloween was in like…two days. Edward and I still needed costumes and I doubted there were any good ones left. "Sure I'll go."

"Okay. We can head into town tonight and try to find something to wear."

We ordered a pizza for dinner and started into town to go to the one and only place that sold Halloween costumes. I had been right before, there were barely any left. Most of them were too big or just plain stupid so we didn't have that great of a selection. I finally looked through the few couple's costumes they had and smiled.

"I think I found them," I called. I held up the two packages in my hands and he grinned.

"Perfect."

He grabbed them and headed up to the cash register to pay. I threw some cheap fishnets up on the counter and he cocked his eyebrow at me.

"They're for the costume," I shrugged. I casually looked outside and instantly panicked. I grabbed Edward as a shield and hid behind him while he signed his credit card receipt.

"What?" He asked.

"My dad." I pointed outside.

The cruiser was parked across the road and he was leaning against it talking to someone on the sidewalk. I knew I hadn't seen him in awhile but he'd aged so much. His hair was starting to gray more than I remembered and the lines on his face were more prominent. His eyes shifted over towards the store and I panicked again, thinking he would see my truck. It wasn't exactly subtle and there was no way anyone else in town had a truck like that. I thought for the slightest moment he saw it because his face scrunched up and he shook his head, almost like he didn't think he was seeing things right. He finally turned back to the guy he was talking to and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's okay. We'll just hang out here until he leaves okay?" Edward rubbed my back and led me to the back of the store again. He started making fun of all the other costumes just to keep my distracted.

Twenty minutes later we left. Thankfully my dad's cruiser was gone, but I wanted to get back to the house as soon as possible. He had me all paranoid.

When we got back, Edward found a movie on TV so we laid on the couch for the rest of the night watching it. I started to fall asleep so I gave him a kiss and told him I was going to bed. I started up the stairs, stopping at the top in front of my mother's door.

Edward was right. I was avoiding it. I was doing exactly what I accused him of. It was hard, but that doesn't mean I can keep running away from it. I reached out and grabbed onto the doorknob. I took a few unsteady breaths and shook my head, wondering if I was strong enough for this.

"I'm right behind you baby…" Edward whispered. I hadn't even heard him come up behind me, but I nodded my head anyway and turned the knob.

A cool rush of air flew at me as I opened the door. I closed my eyes and took a step inside.

The room was completely dark so I took a moment to just feel it. And I could still feel her in here. I reached out and flicked the light on.

Her bed was the same as she'd left it, the quilted comforter a reminder of her. Her bed was neatly done, a pillow I'd made her in Home Ec sitting in the middle. I sauntered across the room and took in her bookshelf. I ran my finger over the spine of all of her books and smiled at all the little glass figurines perched around.

Everything looked so untouched, almost like it was just waiting for her to come back. I hadn't been able to pack anything away after the funeral. I took some of her clothes to the Salvation Army, just like she'd wanted but I couldn't get rid of anything else.

I continued around the room and eventually came to her closet. I pushed it open and saw a few of her clothes that I'd kept. Most of them held sentimental value or were attached to a particular memory I had. I reached out and grabbed one of her t-shirts. I couldn't fathom why I remembered it, but she wore this the first time she took me out to take pictures with her. I held the shirt up to my face and almost smiled feeling its softness against my skin.

My eyes darted up to the shelves and my smile instantly fell. A bedpan. Medical equipment. Pain. Hurt. Death.

My knees gave out and I collapsed onto the floor, suddenly sobbing into her shirt. Edward was instantly beside me, wrapping his arms around me.

He held me while I cried, telling me that he was there and that he loved me. I never realized until then that I didn't get a chance to fall apart when I lost her. I was too angry at the world and at my dad. I had too much to take care of. I was too busy to mourn her and that's the part that was killing me. She and I both deserved better than that. And I hated my father for taking that away from me because I blamed him.

And then just as quickly as they came, the tears stopped. Edward didn't loosen his hold on me and I didn't try to pull away. We just sat on the floor, halfway in her closet. When I was ready I tilted my face up to his and caressed his cheek.

"Thank you…for being here," I whispered.

"Wouldn't want to be anywhere else." He smiled slightly and pressed his lips quickly to mine.

My legs trembled as I stood and pulled him up with me. We walked out of the room hand in hand. He went to close the door behind us but I stopped him.

"Leave it open," I smiled.

I know it was such a small thing, just going into her room, but it felt like such a huge thing for me. I couldn't explain it but I just felt…better about it. I mean losing your mom isn't ever anything that you could ever actually feel better about but it wasn't such an overwhelming weight on me. I think it was all a part of the healing process and even though I was a little slow, it was happening nonetheless. I'd been trying to go in that room ever since I got home and I guess all I needed was Edward by my side.

When I woke up the next morning I felt even better. And the next day even more.

Edward told me we didn't have to go out on Halloween if I wasn't feeling up to it but I insisted. And plus I was excited to see Seth, Quil and Embry again. They were really fun to hang out with and I had a feeling Edward would love them too.

I spent over an hour in the bathroom getting ready. It was a special occasion so it took a little more effort than usual.

I pulled the fishnets on before rolling the hot curlers out of my hair. I think the costume was about a size too small but I think it worked in my advantage. My boobs looked awesome. I pinned half of my hair back and secured the top hat on my head. I added a layer of bright red lipstick and grabbed my whip before I stepped out of the bathroom.

Edward was standing in my room adjusting his lion's mane hat over his head. He snapped it into placed as I cleared my throat and took another step into the hallway. He turned my way and his eyes widened, taking in my lion tamer's costume.

"Baby," he moaned.

I smiled and ran my whip through my fingers as I spun around.

He stepped out into the hallway and reached for me.

"You better keep your little lion paws to yourself or I might have to whip you," I smirked.

"Promise?' He reached out for me anyway and kissed my cheek.

Edward was pretty happy with our costumes, especially because his was just like tan footy pajamas.

I decided I wouldn't drink tonight and offered to drive us over to Seth's. Apparently they'd cleared out the entire shop and were having the party there.

I couldn't even imagine how weird we must have looked driving into town in my truck. I was in a top hat and fishnets and Edward had this crazy lions mane sticking out everywhere. And to top it of we were in a beat up old truck. As odd as it was it felt surprisingly normal for us and it was nice.

There were already a lot of cars parked outside of the shop so it took us a minute to find a spot. The entire shop was full of people, most of whom I recognized. It was like a high school reunion from hell…literally. Every time I passed someone they almost did a double-take and I didn't know if it was because they weren't sure they were seeing me or the lion I was toting behind me.

"Bella! Edward!" Seth yelled. I saw him waving at us over from the corner. He was dressed as a pirate. Embry and Quil stood beside him dressed as salt and pepper shakers. I couldn't see Leah anywhere but judging by the fact that I thought we passed Sam and Emily along the way that didn't surprise me.

"Hey!" I gave Seth a hug and introduced Quil and Embry to Edward.

"So what are you? A circus freak?" Quil teased.

"She's a lion tamer," Edward winked and reached in the large bucket to grab himself a beer.

"I've got a whip so you better watch out what you say to me," I warned, narrowing my eyes at them.

Edward fit right in with everyone and before I knew it he was a little tipsy. I was never one of those people who got pissed when they weren't the only drunk one around. In fact I found it pretty hilarious. And even though I didn't get to see him like this often, Edward was actually a good drunk.

A few people approached me, finally realizing that it was actually me. I was never one with a ton of friends in high school aside from Jasper but it was a small town so you knew everyone. And I felt like another part of it was that Edward was standing right behind me. Small town gossip and celebrity attracted people like flies on shit.

"Bella! It's so nice to see you."

My brow furrowed in confusion as Lauren Mallory stepped up and gave me a hug. She was a bigger and faker bitch than Rosalie used to be and I could already tell she hadn't grown out of it. I think she actually started the whole "Ugly Duckling" nickname.

I didn't say anything. I just stared at her like she was batshit crazy. I can be civil with people I never really talked to, but I'm not going to pretend I like her and am happy to see her. In fact I'd like to shove her pretty little head right into the bobbing for apples tub.

"So how are you? What have you been up to?" She asked, her eyes staring directly past me to Edward. I felt myself move a little protectively in front of him.

"I've been fine." I crossed my arms in front of me and glared at her.

She just started rambling on about everything she's been doing, talking louder and louder with every word trying to get his attention. He eventually did turn around, but instead of taking notice of her he slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. He started licking and sucking on my neck and I became a lot more distracted and less interested in Lauren than I was before.

I barely noticed her voice fading away as Edward was devouring my skin but she finally stopped talking all together.

"Oh," I sighed. "Edward this is Lauren. Lauren this is Edward."

Edward held his hand out to her before turning his attention back to me. Seth offered him another shot and he gladly took it. He was going to have a rough day tomorrow but I was happy he was able to let loose with everything that's been going on. I would gladly nurse his hangover.

"We don't like that girl," I turned and whispered to him.

"Well I don't like all these clothes you have on…" he slurred a little too loudly. "Dance with me." He toted me off to the dance floor and I stuck my tongue out at Lauren as we passed. It may have been immature but I didn't give a flying fuck. She was ogling my guy and he obviously prefers me to her skank ass so I had a right to gloat.

As soon as we were out on the dance floor his hands went to my hips and he pulled me close. There was a little possessiveness in his touch, but it wasn't overboard like before. It was perfect. It was sexy as hell.

He leaned down and pressed his lips roughly to mine as we danced amongst all the bodies on the floor. I wasn't drunk, but I felt intoxicated by him. His hands grazed over my ass and pulled me into him. He dipped down and started working on my neck again as I leaned back, giving him better access. I noticed Lauren staring at us from across the room talking with a group of girls. I smirked at her and leaned up to Edward's ear so I could tug on it with my teeth. He hissed into my skin.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom, I'll be right back," I whispered. He backed away from me and smiled as he started back towards Seth, Quil and Embry. I hurried into the bathroom and back out and saw Edward talking to a girl I vaguely recognized. I think she might have been student council president or something. I expected myself to tense up, but I didn't. I surprised myself a little.

Edward spotted me as soon as I stepped out and politely excused himself from the girl. He made his way towards me and wrapped me up in his arms again.

"You seem to be getting a lot of attention from the ladies tonight…" I teased.

"I haven't noticed. And I couldn't even if I wanted to. You've ruined me for all other women." He tugged at my costume. "Can we get out of here?"

"Yeah. Let's get you home Simba."

"I'm so not Simba. I'm at least the dad." He pretended to growl menancingly but it just sounded ridiculous. He turned around and started back towards the guys to say goodbye. I couldn't help but laugh as his little lion tail swished back and forth with his movements.

We said a quick goodbye and thank you to Seth before taking off. I grabbed Edward's hand and led him back out to the truck. After I had him settled and buckled in we started home.

It wasn't a long drive but he of course found ways to be incredibly distracting. First it was just brushing his fingers up and down my arm, or leaning over and kissing my neck. As soon as his hand snaked under my short skirt I almost swerved off the road.

"Edward stop. I can't drive with you doing that," I squirmed as his fingers brushed against the fabric of my underwear.

"Then pull over."

"We can't do that here," I scolded. My father was the police chief. I really didn't want to get arrested for fucking my boyfriend on the side of the road, even though he was being incredibly persuasive.

We finally made it home and he basically pulled me out of the car, losing his lion headwear somewhere along the way. I had a feeling we weren't going to make it to the bedroom.

As soon as we were inside he pushed me up against the back of the door and forced my skirt up. He ran his finger between my thigh high fishnets and my skin as he pressed his lips to mine. He was leaning a little more towards bad Edward right now and I think I was definitely okay with it.

I unzipped the front of his costume and was pleasantly surprised that he was shirtless underneath. I pushed it down as far as I could with our bodies so close. His fingers left mine for the shortest moment as he pulled his boxers down.

An instant later he pulled my panties down and thrust his hips roughly against mine. I shivered at the feeling of him again. We hadn't been this intimate since he'd been here, but now that we were it didn't feel like any time had passed. He was still perfectly molded for me.

He grunted as he pushed me back against the door, slamming into me over and over. I tried to speak but it just came out in stuttered sounds. I couldn't form a coherent sentence and I couldn't feel anything except for him. I leaned down and pressed my lips against his shoulder as I screamed out.

He whipped me around and started towards the couch, stepping completely out of his clothes along the way. He set us down on the couch and leaned his head back on the back the couch as he gripped onto my ass, guiding me in my movements. I braced myself, resting my hands on either side of his head and started moving my hips against his.

"God you are so beautiful," he took my face in his hands and leaned in to kiss me.

I forced my hips down on his a few more times before I felt my release roll through my body. I shuddered and slowed my movements down, almost unable to move at all. I slowly arched my body towards him and he groaned, grabbing lightly at my hips. I could almost feel his fingertips buzzing. He cursed under his breath as his head lolled back.

I lifted myself off him and pressed my lips to his.

"I'm going to go get you some pajamas baby."

I headed upstairs, not able to wipe the smile off of my face. By the time I got back downstairs he was already passed out on the couch, curled up into a little naked Edward ball. I laughed at grabbed him a blanket, not even wanting to attempt dressing him right now. I slipped on my own pajamas and curled up next to him.

I woke the next morning to the sound of his phone ringing….somewhere. He wasn't clothed so I knew it wasn't on him, but I could still hear it. I popped up and looked around the room, trying to figure out where it was coming from. I rolled off the couch and started crawling around the floor, finally realizing it was coming from his lion suit. I felt along the heap of fabric on the floor and found a little pocket on the inside that I didn't even know existed. I planned on just ignoring the call since I figured it was Alice calling to bitch or ask where he was again. But it was Esme.

"Hello?" I answered softly.

"Bella. It's lovely to hear your voice."

"Hi Esme. How are you?"

"I'm very well thank you. How are you? I didn't realize Edward was with you."

"Uh…yeah. Not many people do if you know what I mean."

"It's none of my business, I'll keep my mouth shut," she laughed. "I was honestly wondering if he'd even pick up. Alice says he doesn't answer her calls and she only knew he was alive somewhere.'

"Yeah. He's kind of taking an Alice break." I shrugged and glanced over at Edward. He was still sound asleep.

"Is he available to talk?"

"Actually he's a little…he's sleeping."

"Oh. Don't wake him up then. Poor kid needs to get some rest. He's always go, go, go." She laughed again. "Well I was just calling to see if he would be joining us for Thanksgiving. We'd love to have you both."

"Really?" I haven't had a proper Thanksgiving dinner in years. Jasper's parents always invited me to theirs and even though they were like second parents to me, I always felt weird. But Edward was kind of like my family now. So I guess his family was my family.

"Yes of course. Now Alice and Jasper will be attending as well so I guess I should warn you as far as that goes. But I'd really love to see you both. It's an important holiday. We have a lot to be thankful for."

"Okay sure," I said. I wasn't really looking forward to seeing Alice, but we had to face her at some point. I figured it might be better if we were around more people and a doctor if things happened to turn ugly.

"Great. I'll give you guys a call in a couple of weeks. Have a good day." She hung up and I set Edward's phone back down.

"Who was that?" He mumbled. He sat up slowly, holding his head. "Why am I naked?"

"You don't remember…" I laughed.

"No I remember…you very clearly. I just don't remember anything else. I thought you were getting me pajamas."

I smiled and crawled up onto the couch with him. "My little animal just partied too hard."

His face scrunched up as he took in his surroundings. "I feel like I need to vomit and shower."

"Well why don't you go do that and I'll make you some breakfast?"

"Okay." He shook his head and got up, stumbling a little. I blushed as the blanket fell from around his body and he walked up the steps completely butt naked. I might have to just steal all his clothes so he has to do that all the time. I wouldn't complain one bit. I missed his ass among other things.

I headed into the kitchen and made him some toast, which was simple enough. Toast was always a safe bet. It was good for hangovers and it was hard to screw up, unless you burnt it. I solved that problem by never ever touching the dial. Once I found the right one, it stayed.

I was just pouring him a glass of juice when he walked in, unfortunately fully clothed now.

"Thanks." He sat down at the table and I pushed his food, as well as two Tylenol, towards him. "I'm sorry."

"About what?"

"I'm sure I did or said something stupid last night. This is rough."

"You were actually very good. You did try to get me to pull over so we could have sex in the truck but other than that…" I shrugged. I sat down next to him and started rubbing his back as he ate. "Oh. Esme was the one who called."

"Oh yeah? What was she up to?"

"She was…inviting us over for Thanksgiving dinner."

"What did you say?"

"I told her we'd go…." I smiled, hoping he wouldn't be mad at me.

"You do realize Alice is going to be there."

"I do realize this, but we'll face her together. It'll be fine."

He laughed and took another bite of his toast. "Right."

I had a feeling this was going to be the most memorable Thanksgiving I'd have for awhile. I was just trying to decide if it was good or bad.


	29. Gobble, Gobble

**A/N: Just a few things beforehand and I'll talk to you more at the bottom.**

**I just wanted to remind people that this story is supposed to be fun and semi-light. I understand that the characters are at sometimes immature, and there are cheesy moments. I wrote it that way because after the emotional rollercoaster I went through with CoC I needed something like this. If you aren't enjoying it because of those elements I'm really sorry but that's how the story is. I never presented it to be anything else. Just wanted to get that out there : )  
**

"Is it too late to say no?"

Edward laughed at my hesitance as he pulled into Carlisle and Esme's driveway.

"I'm afraid so." He reached over and grabbed my hand as we continued down the long drive. "It's going to be okay…I think."

"Thanks for the reassurance."

We pulled up to a large house that looked more like a beautiful cabin. It was covered in wood and stone with a small porch out front. The house was situated practically right in the middle of the forest and as a result the lawn was littered with brightly colored leaves.

I saw Jasper's car already sitting outside so I knew they were already here. There was another car in the driveway and I assumed Emmett and Rosalie had been invited as well.

Edward turned the car off and we sat in the driveway for a long time without saying a word. I tried to psych myself up all morning but in all honesty Alice scared the shit out of me.

"Bella if we wait any longer we might as well stay for Christmas…" Edward sighed and glanced over at me.

"Oh you're freaking out just as much as I am. Don't try to play it all suave," I teased.

He laughed under his breath and finally opened his door. He walked around to open mine and took my hand as we walked the few steps to the porch.

Before I could take a moment to compose myself, the front door swung open.

"Gobble Gobble Motherfuckers! Happy Thanksgiving!" Emmett stepped forward and gave us both a hug.

I nervously stepped inside the house and looked around. Carlisle was talking with Jasper over by a large fireplace in the corner. As soon as they spotted me, Jasper ran over and swept me up into his arms. It was weird not seeing him as much as I did before so this was like a mini-reunion for us.

"Jasper I need to ask you something," I whispered as he swung me around.

"Okay."

"To your knowledge does Alice own a gun or a machete?"

He laughed and shook his head. "I don't think so. Her and Rosalie are in the kitchen helping Esme with dinner. I think she has a potato masher."

I heard some voices to my right and peeked around Jasper. I could see the back of Rosalie standing at a counter.

"Bella do you plan on hugging me the rest of the night?" He asked.

"No. Sorry. I'm just a little nervous," I said, finally releasing him. I straightened my shirt and smiled.

"Just go." He nodded towards the kitchen. "She won't kill you with witnesses around."

"Right." I took a few tentative steps towards the kitchen, glancing back at Edward, Carlisle and Emmett as they talked with each other.

"Bella!" Esme screamed. I whipped around as she started towards me, pulling me completely into the kitchen. Rosalie turned around and smiled.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" I mumbled.

"Happy Thanksgiving," Esme said. "I didn't hear you and Edward come in."

"Yeah." I looked past her and saw Alice standing with her back to me. She didn't even acknowledge my presence.

"I should go say hello." She wiped her hands on her dishtowel and started into the living room.

I took the few steps to reach the counter, standing between Alice and Rose.

"Do you guys need any help?" I asked.

Alice sighed, continuing to work on her mash potatoes.

"Actually you can finish the green bean casserole," Rose said, pushing the container my way. "I'm going to go sit down for a minute."

I shook my head.

"I'll be back." She turned around.

"Rose," I whispered. "You cannot leave me here with her."

"I'll just be right out here." She shook her head and left the room.

The only sounds in the room were Alice's incessant mashing, her metal tool clanging against the edge of the bowl, my heart beating and the murmured sounds of conversation in the other room.

I cleared my throat and glanced at her.

"Alice I…"

She set her bowl down and stomped out of the room. I sighed and continued making the casserole, placing those crunchy little noodle things on top. I went a little overboard. Besides the fact that they were my favorite part I got a little distracted by my own thoughts. I came to the conclusion that temper tantrums must run in the family and she just needed some time. Even though I thought about two months was enough to get over it, apparently she was still not very happy with me.

I slid the casserole into the oven and joined the rest of them in the living room. Edward sat in an oversized chair and pulled me onto his lap as soon as I stepped beside him. I fidgeted nervously as I felt Alice's eyes on us. I felt like she might actually turn us to stone. Evil Medusa woman.

The room appeared to be oblivious to the tension between Alice and I as they went about chatting together. Edward's hand was wrapped tightly around my waist and I found myself playing with the collar of his shirt just so I had something to focus on. He turned towards me and started nuzzling into my neck. I whimpered a little and pouted as he pulled away. I think in some way he was trying to stick it to Alice, even though he was just as scared of her as I was sometimes.

"Are you okay?" He whispered.

I shrugged and kept fiddling with the fabric. He leaned over and kissed my cheek before going back to his conversation.

A timer out in the kitchen beeped and Esme jumped up. There was some clamoring of plates and she called to us that the food was ready. I jumped off Edward's lap and pulled him towards the dining room. The rest of them followed, with the exception of Carlisle who headed into the kitchen to help Esme.

Unfortunately I ended up sitting right across from Alice, which didn't help in my "don't look into her eyes" strategy.

Esme carried a few of the dishes into the dining room and set them down in the middle of the table. Carlisle followed quickly after with the turkey. He set it down before him and grabbed two large knives so he could slice it up.

"Before we eat I would just like to thank everyone for coming. And you are all here because you are important to us and we're thankful for you." He smiled and nodded before he started cutting into the turkey. Esme came around and offered us all some wine, which I took graciously. I needed to get drunk right now or I was going to spontaneously combust.

I tried not to be obvious as I gulped down my first glass, but Edward noticed. He cleared his throat and pushed my glass a little farther away from me as everyone started passing the dishes around. I grabbed a big heap of mashed potatoes and scraped a bunch of the crunchy noodles off the top of the green beans before handing them to Emmett.

For the most part we ate in silence, everyone's forks clanking loudly against their plates. The food was delicious and the wine was even better. Edward's wine blockade was failing miserably and I was on my third glass.

"So Bella…tell us what you've been up to lately?" Esme asked.

"Not much really. I've been in Forks at my mom's old house. Fixing it up a little. Developing some more pictures."

"And Edward's been staying with you?" She smiled.

"Yeah." I turned towards Edward and grinned. "He's a very good house guest."

Alice scoffed from the other side of the table. That was it. I was sick of her shitty attitude. It's done now.

"Excuse me Alice did you want to say something?" I asked.

"Not to you. And if you don't mind I'd rather eat in silence. I'm beginning to lose my appetite," she snapped.

"What is your fucking problem?" I said firmly. Everyone at the table dropped their forks and cowered back into their seats.

"You're my fucking problem," she hissed.

"What? What is so wrong with him being happy? Are you really that caught up in yourself that you can't let your brother be happy?" I crossed my arms in front of me. "I mean are you that damn blind Alice?"

"No I guess I just have a problem with backstabbing so-called friends."

"Alice," Jasper scolded.

"No it's okay Jasper. At least she's talking to me. Anything else?"

"Yeah. You're a two-faced lying bitch!"

My shoulders heaved as I grabbed a handful of mashed potatoes and flung it across the table. It landed right on her forehead and slid down her face.

"Oh it's on!" She squealed. The next thing I knew I had green beans in my hair. I reached out blindly and threw something else at her. It hit Jasper instead so he joined in on the fight, laughing under his breath. Edward tried to hold me back as Carlisle yelled at us to stop. Rose and Esme scooted back from the table and took a sip from their wine. Emmett all but lunged in front of us, yelling something about wasting the food.

Edward finally pulled me out of the room while I tried to launch one more roll at her head.

"Bella stop!" He screamed. He pulled me upstairs and into his old bedroom, where I assumed we were staying for the evening. "Stay here." He narrowed his eyes at me as he left the room, pulling the door closed behind him, I sat down on the bed and started picking food out of my hair.

Edward returned a few minutes later with our bags from the car. He set them down and disappeared into our private bathroom. I heard the shower turn on, so I followed him in.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, stepping right behind him. He turned around and removed a green bean from his shoulder.

"I know," he sighed.

I pulled my shirt over my head and threw it on the floor. Edward started laughing under his breath and glanced down at my chest.

"What?"

"There's a piece of turkey stuck in your bra." He nodded.

I looked down and picked it out before plucking it into my mouth.

He pulled his shirt over his head as I got undressed. We both stepped into the shower and started washing the gross food off of us. I felt really bad about ruining Esme's dinner. I'd have to make sure to go down and apologize to her, help her clean up.

"Alice shouldn't have said…" Edward shook his head. "She shouldn't have called you that. You aren't…"

"Not what? Lying? Backstabbing? Two-faced? Bitch?"

"Okay so we technically lied to her, but it honestly wasn't her business. Our relationship is between you and me. Not us and her. Despite the fact that we share DNA I'm seriously considering firing her ass."

"It doesn't necessarily matter Edward. She thinks I betrayed friend code and I think she's being insane. It doesn't matter who is right or wrong."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. "Well I'm still sorry that she said it."

"Oh I'm so wounded," I teased.

He pressed his forehead gently against my mine and smiled.

"I guess I'm just done trying to make amends with her. I've put forth the effort and if she's not willing to then that's her problem," I mumbled.

"Good girl," he whispered, brushing his lips across my cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He pressed his lips to mine and I knew if I didn't get out of here I wasn't going to make it back downstairs to help Esme.

"I have to go help clean up my mess…" I mumbled against his lips.

"No," he whined. "You have to stay here." He grabbed my hips and backed me up until my back hit the tile wall of the shower.

"You are very skilled at pleading your case…" I laughed and arched my neck up as his mouth traveled down my skin.

"Maybe I should have been a lawyer instead…"

"Edward no." I laughed and pushed him away, remembering my original plan. "I'll look like a horrible house guest if I make a mess like that and then just leave it for her to clean up. Please."

"Fine," he smirked and let me go. "But just know I'll be up here having all the fun without you." He cocked his eyebrow and stepped under the water.

"Okay I'll just have to hurry then." I hopped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and quickly threw some sweatpants on.

I hurried downstairs and started towards the kitchen. The whole downstairs was fairly quiet, except for the crackling of the fire and the soft flurry of someone in the kitchen.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I reached the living room. Alice sat all by herself, curled up in a blanket by the fireplace with a cup of tea. She briefly glanced my way before turning back to the fire. I continued into the kitchen.

"Hello Bella…" Esme smiled as she continued packaging up the leftover food. I was actually surprised there was any left.

"Esme. I'm so incredibly sorry about dinner. That was highly inappropriate and I didn't mean to ruin Thanksgiving."

"You didn't ruin it my dear. In fact I think that was the most interesting Thanksgiving we've had around here," she laughed.

I walked into the dining room and surveyed the damage. I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought. Most of the food had landed on an actual person. I cleaned up what I could and headed back to the kitchen.

"Alice can be very stubborn Bella, even when she knows she's wrong," Esme said. She started putting all the containers of food in the refridgerator.

"Yeah I think I'm starting to see that. She just…she doesn't understand." I shook my head.

"There is some tea left if you want some." She nodded over to the tea kettle. That actually did sound really good.

I grabbed a cup and poured myself the last bit before thanking Esme and starting back upstairs.

"Bella," Alice called. I stopped as my foot hit the first step and turned around, thinking I was imagining it. She was staring right at me. "Come sit with me." She patted the empty space on the couch beside her.

Against my better judgment I accepted her invitation and sat down, fiddling anxiously with my cup of tea. Maybe she was going to throw me into the fire so there wouldn't be any evidence.

"I know you think I don't understand," she laughed. "And I know you think this is about me not liking you being with Edward."

"It's not?" I asked.

"I love my brother and I want him to be happy. You make him happy and I'm not stupid enough that I can't see that. He's different with you and its obvious that I was wrong about him."

"Shit," I sighed. Wasn't expecting that to come out of her mouth. Maybe a "Die you stupid whore," but not that. "Then what is it?"

"Bella despite how we met and the odd circumstances I consider you a friend. A really…really good friend. And the fact that you went behind my back and lied about it...killed me. It hurt more than anything else. I flat out asked you if there was something going on and you told me no. You lied right to my face."

"We were going to tell you."

"What? When you got engaged? Married? Pregnant?"

"No. When you got back from New York. We wanted to tell you sooner but things just kept getting in the way."

"Well why didn't you tell me in the first place?" She turned her whole body towards me. "I mean I won't lie I would have been pretty surprised and I probably would have been a little worried, but I would have supported you Bella. I'm not that much of a bitch."

"The day after his birthday. You said something about distractions and how you liked Edward the way he was. It scared the shit out of me that I was going to be a bad distraction. I even tried to avoid him after that."

"That would explain his shitty mood." She laughed. "I didn't know," she shook her head. "I just wish you would have told me sweetie. And when I meant distractions, I meant that most of the girls that try to have an actual relationship with him are scum. They're after his money or celebrity and not just Edward"

"I'm sorry we should have told you," I tried to fight back the tears as I realized just how much I really did value Alice as a friend. And I missed the fuck out of this girl. "Can you forgive me?"

"Only if you can forgive me. I've been such an ass and I'm sorry. I just overreacted and got so deep in a hole that I couldn't dig myself out so I just kept being an ass. It was like…an ass cycle. It's completely inexcusible. And I'm sorry it took me a roll to the head to realize how ridiculous I was being."

"Of course I forgive you." I threw my arms around her, barely avoiding spilling both of our teas.

"I think we've had enough food and drink warfare for the day," she laughed.

"Sorry about that."

"It was kind of fun."

I leaned back and took a sip of my tea.

"So…" Alice started. "I'd love to hear your story. About you and Edward. If you want to tell me of course." She offered me some of her blanket.

"Okay…" I smiled and cleared my throat. I told her about the first night at the bar and how all of my plans to resist him failed miserably. I told her about our time in New York and how much I hated their father for what he did to them. I told her about my family and about life back in Forks. I told her everything.

She laughed and cried at all the right parts, really listening to what I was saying.

"I never thought I'd see it," she said.

"See what?"

"Edward fall in love. I thought it was one of those myths like….Loch Ness and unicorns. But I'm really happy for you. Honestly." She smiled and hugged me again.

We talked for hours, catching up on everything. She said they hadn't hired a new photographer and Sports Illustrated was extremely pissed at the situation. She said she'd tell them I'd still be submitting my pictures for the feature if I still wanted to.

The next thing I remembered was someone carrying me up the stairs and to a bed. We must have fallen asleep.

"Edward?" I mumbled.

"Just go to sleep babe." He crawled in beside me and pulled the covers up over us.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting. I just…" I yawned. "Alice and I…"

"Yeah I know. I snuck downstairs to see what was taking you so long and saw you guys having your chick moment. So I went and found Jasper. We played some video games while you were reconnecting."

"She's not mad at me for you. She was mad cause I lied to her." I nuzzled into his chest, still half asleep.

"Good. I'm glad we won't be have to limit the food at the next family holiday." He kissed my head. "Speaking of the next holiday. How do you feel about having Christmas at my place?"

"In Seattle?"

"Yeah. I mean Alice and Jasper are going to his parent's place. Rose and Emmett will be with their families and I think Esme and Carlisle are going down to South America."

"Okay."

I don't know if he said anything else because I was fast asleep.

I felt so much better about everything when I woke up the next day. It was like everything was falling into place, except for the whole "Edward giving up on tennis thing." I'd let him have his short term retirement for a little while longer, but I wasn't giving up on that. I know him better than he thinks and he's being ridiculous if he thinks he doesn't want it.

Edward was already awake and downstairs when I woke up so I made sure I looked halfway presentable before heading downstairs. He, Alice and Rosalie were sitting in the kitchen having some coffee. Alice leaned over and gave Edward a hug as she kissed him on the cheek. Thank God they were on the mend too.

I smiled as I walked in and Alice quickly poured me a cup. Rose looked back and forth between us, probably wondering why we were being so civil.

"Thank you Alice," I said, taking the cup from her.

"Did you two make-up or something?" Rose asked.

"Yep."

"Thank fuck! I was getting exhausted." Rose sighed and laid her head down on the counter.

"Are we all ready for football?" Alice squealed.

Apparently it was some kind of tradition. They always had this Cullen family football game, kind of like in Friends. The winner got some weird looking trophy and bragging rights for the next year.

Once we got everyone up and dressed appropriately we headed outside. Alice and Edward called captains, of course. Alice suggested dicks vs. chicks and the guys were all too happy about that. Ha. Football was the one sport I could probably play half way decent. And no one in this world could pay me to play against Rose. She could make me cower with just one look.

"Okay team! Huddle!" Alice shouted. The girls gathered together trying to discuss strategy. Esme was going to be quarterback. Rose was running back and Alice and I were receivers. Apparently they just assumed I would be a distraction because they mostly talked about passing it to Alice or giving it to Rose to run in. We decided on a play and ran out to set our positions.

I smirked as Edward lined up in front of me, obviously defending me. Carlisle defended Alice. Emmett and Jasper were just…defending I guess. I don't know what the hell its called I just know to stay away from them.

Esme yelled and I just started running. Edward didn't have a problem keeping up with me and we steadily moved the ball down the field. It wasn't anything amazing but we were making small progress.

Edward eventually just started jogging beside me, thinking they were never going to use me. At our next huddle I told Esme to throw the ball to me, they'd never expect it.

"Hey Swan," Edward grinned. "Why don't we sneak off into the woods for a little action off the field? They won't even notice you're gone." He stuck his tongue out and laughed.

"That's what you think." I winked as Esme screamed and ran past him again. I smiled as the ball started flying my way. Edward's eyes grew big from a few steps back when he realized they were actually throwing the ball at me. I reached out and felt the ball graze my fingertips before I clutched it to my chest. I was so surprised I caught it that I almost stopped running in celebration. The girls were all yelling at me to run. The boys were yelling and scrambling to reach me as I crossed the goal. I threw the ball down and did some kind of weird dance that I always saw the football players do.

The girls all piled on top of me as the boys walked away, completely defeated.

"Hey Cullen!" I yelled.

Edward turned back towards me and ran his fingers through his hair.

"That's what you get for thinking with your dick!" I started laughing as he playfully scowled at me. I'd be paying for that later. I had a feeling I wouldn't mind the punishment though. He could think with his dick all he wanted in that situation.

We ended up losing the game overall but I was still happy with my little sneak attack. And just like I predicted, Edward did his own little sneak attack later that night. Both of us managed to score.

**A/N: I really, really loved writing this chapter. Speaking of chapters there are only about 4 or 5 left...eek. I'm devestated to be leaving Tennisward but I have some exciting things coming up like Secret Life and my new awards/recc site.**

**Two blogs for you to check out.**

**Secret Life blog is up. Link is on my page. I'd really appreciate it if you check it out and follow it.**

**Secondly our blog for the Fanfiction High School Yearbook is up. We're all relatively new at running a site like this and we'd really appreciate your support! Our first project is Mock Elections and it's going to be a really fun thing so I hope you guys will follow us there. The categories will be up soon so you can start thinking of who you'd like to nominate. Also if you have a blog and would be interested in promoting us, we have a blinkie/button that you can put on it. We'd be happy to repay the favor. Please email me at mandyleigh010 gmail . com if you'd like the blinkie code. Please title the subject "FFYEARBOOK BLINKIE"**

**Lastly, the EPOV poll is done and the winner was "Edward meets Bella" and I have a confession. I was really interested in writing this one and kind of already did it ; ) I'll be editing and posting that later today. Go me for going Alice on you guys and "knowing" which one you'd be unconsciously.  
**

**Thanks guys!  
**


	30. A Little Rusty

Two weeks before we were heading back to Seattle for Christmas I surprised Edward and took him to the local indoor tennis courts. They weren't anything special but I hoped maybe he would realize that he still wanted to play tennis. This whole reaction from him was one of his defense mechanisms and I knew it. He's acting like he doesn't want it so he doesn't have to feel the pain from the loss.

"What is this?" He asked as we pulled up outside. He turned towards me and shook his head. "Bella what the fuck is this?" He snapped.

"It's a surprise." I tried to smile. It was pretty obvious where we were and I had no idea if he would even go inside but I still tried to play it cool.

I got out of the car and waited for him up at the entrance. He sat in the car for a long time before he finally got out and started towards me. I reached out my hand and took his as soon as he was close enough.

We stepped inside and I walked us up to the front desk. I'd already made reservations for rentals and a court so they were ready for us.

"Court 6," the woman at the desk told us.

"Bella I can't." Edward's hand tightened around mine as I started towards the courts.

"Just try okay? We'll just play for fun. I'll even let you beat me." I tried to get him to laugh but his face was stone cold.

He allowed me to pull him onto the courts and over to ours. There were two racquets and a cart of balls waiting for us. I grabbed one of each and jogged to the other side of the court.

"Come on superstar. Show me what you've got." I winked and hit a ball towards him. He ducked out of the way and let it fly past him.

He tentatively took the racquet in his hands and spun it around. For the slightest moment I thought he was going to actually play with me. He needed to just play. Just have fun. Realize why he loved the game in the first place. It was going to save him. It would make everything okay.

"Edward?" I asked. His eyes snapped up to mine and I instantly knew everything was not okay. A moment later he threw the tennis racquet down on the ground and screamed as he tipped the cart of balls over. He stomped back off the court, leaving me shaking and alone, tennis balls rolling all around me.

The few other people stared as I set the tennis racquet back down and started after him. "I'm sorry," I mumbled as I passed them. This was obviously a really bad idea, I didn't realize he'd react so strongly. Actually who was I kidding this was Edward.

He wasn't in the lobby so I assumed he was already back in the car. I apologized to the front desk for the mess and ran after him.

He sat in the front seat with his knees pulled up to his chest. I tentatively pulled open the door and got in.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Can we just go home?" He stared straight ahead, biting roughly on his lip.

"Yeah. We can go home." I turned car on and we left.

The day before Christmas Eve we were packing for Seattle and I caught him watching old tennis matches online. Apparently he thought it was more sneaky to do it there then on TV. I couldn't understand why he felt he had to hide it but I guess I would let him deal with it his way. Baby steps.

I had already decided what I was giving him for Christmas. I'd developed all those pictures he'd taken that day in the park and put them into an album for him. None of them were very good but that was part of the appeal and I think he'd like it. But after his episode at the courts and his sneaky behavior I wanted to get him something else. I wanted to help him take his baby steps in a different way.

I left him packing for Seattle and told him I was running into town to get some things. I took the truck and headed straight for the sporting goods store that I used to work at when I was in high school.

"Is that Isabella Swan?" Mr. Clearwater asked as soon as I stepped inside. He was making his purchases at the cash register.

"Yeah." I smiled. "How are you? Heart feeling good?"

"Doing well. Wasn't sure if I believed you were really back or not. Seth keeps telling me he saw you." He laughed and paid the cashier.

"Yeah. He helped me out with my truck when I first got here. He's doing a great job with the shop."

"Yeah he is. I'm going fishing with your dad today…"

My breathed hitched in my throat when he mentioned my dad. I hadn't really thought about him since Halloween and part of me wondered if he knew I was in town. It wouldn't surprise me if he just didn't care. It wasn't like he has the past couple of years anyway.

"It was nice to see you Harry…" I didn't wait for his response as I walked away. I avoided anymore conversation and made my way to the back. I figured they hadn't changed much around since I'd worked here so I knew where I was going.

I grabbed the huge box, barely able to hold it myself, and started back towards the front.

"Bella?"

I dropped the box right on my foot and cursed under my breath. I bent down and tried to pick it back up again but I was shaking so bad that I couldn't get a good grip on it. I should have realized he was probably in the fucking car waiting for him.

"Here honey let me help you." Charlie bent down and picked up the box. He set it down on the counter and the cashier started ringing it up. "How are you? I heard you were back in town. I've been meaning to stop by."

I started straight ahead, tapping my foot at the cashier. _Hurry the fuck up dude._

"Is this for you?" He nodded towards the big box.

"It's a Christmas present for my boyfriend," I snapped.

"You still with that tennis player?"

I handed the cashier my credit card and quickly signed the receipt. "You don't deserve to know things about me." I grabbed the box and went outside. I quickly threw it in the back and started home, just trying to keep myself together.

When I got home I left the box in the back of the truck and went inside. Edward was sitting on the couch watching TV. I didn't say a word as I walked upstairs and went straight to the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and turned on the shower to drown out my crying. I pulled myself up on the counter and finally let out the sob I'd been holding in since I heard his voice.

"Bella?" Edward knocked on the door. He waited a few moments before stepping inside. "What's wrong?" He nestled himself between my legs and pulled me into his arms.

"I saw my dad," I cried.

"What?"

"He was at the store and he…he started talking to me. I didn't know what to do so I just bolted out of there as fast as I could."

"Shit," he whispered. "So he obviously knows you're here now huh?" He kissed the top of my head as I nodded. "Do you think he'll come here?"

"I don't know. I didn't exactly give him a warm greeting." I sniffled and pulled back.

"Well then get your shit. We'll go back to Seattle tonight and not even worry about it."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Edward sighed and rubbed my tears away.

"Okay." I leaned forward and quickly pressed my lips to his. "I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled and backed up so I could hop off the counter.

I shut the shower off and grabbed a few last minute things, stuffing them into my waiting duffel. We were only staying for a few days so I didn't need too much. I made sure Edward's album was tucked safely inside before I told him I was ready to go. It all actually worked out in my favor. I didn't even have to worry about bringing his larger gift inside at the moment. I'd just throw a blanket over it so he couldn't see the box.

Edward offered to drive and we headed out. The weather was pretty shitty so it took us longer than usual to get back to his place. I don't think I've ever been so relieved to see it. It was weird because even though I'd only stayed here a few times it still felt like home. I never realized you could consider more than one place home and I started to wonder if it had more to do with the company I was with and the fact that it was his.

Edward pulled up to his gate and typed in the code on the pad.

"Where's Frank?" I asked.

"I'm not a Scrooge Bella. I gave him some time off. It's not like I've been here anyway."

The gate slowly opened and he drove through. I grabbed most of our bags and he offered to grab the big box. I told him he could as long as he kept the blanket on it and didn't look.

The house was really cold so Edward started a fire as I took everything upstairs. Everything was just like I remembered it. I set our things in Edward's room and unpacked.

I went back downstairs to find a beautiful fire and an even more beautiful man standing by it. I walked over and wrapped my arms around his waist, bringing my chest flush with his back.

"Everything okay?" He asked, placing his arms over mine.

"Now it is." I pressed my forehead into his back.

"You want some wine or something? I think I have some stashed away somewhere."

"Sure. That'd be nice."

He smiled and wriggled out of my arms before heading to the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

I pulled myself onto the couch and grabbed a blanket. He sat down beside me and pulled my legs onto his lap as he uncorked the bottle. He poured each of us a glass and handed one to me.

We drank wine and sat by the fire for awhile until I started feeling sleepy.

"Baby we don't even have a tree…" I said, half asleep. I looked around the room.

"I've never had a tree in here. It's usually just me so…I guess I didn't really need one." He shrugged. "Do you want a tree?"

"I think it might be a little late," I laughed. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Nobody's going to be open."

"Bella do you want a tree?" He asked again.

"I've just always had one. It doesn't feel like Christmas without it." I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warm fuzzy feeling coursing through my veins. "I think I need to go to bed…" I whispered.

"I think you do too." He took our wine glasses and the bottle into the kitchen before returning to the couch. "And up." He crouched down in front of me and offered me a ride. I flopped myself onto his back and rested my head on his shoulder as he picked me up and carried me up the stairs. I was asleep before he even laid me down in the bed.

I woke up the next morning with the space beside me empty. I ran my hand along the crinkled sheets where he'd lain the night before and sat up.

"Edward?" I climbed out of bed, pulling the blanket with me.

The house was completely silent as I made my way down the stairs and into the living room.

"Edward?" I called again. I wonder where he went.

Something outside in the backyard caught my eye. I turned towards the big window and saw him outside. He was all bundled up and frantically chopping at one of the trees in the backyard. His face was beat red and his mouth was moving like he was screaming at the tree. I just stood there and watched him as he chopped away. He finally got frustrated and dropped his axe so he could try and push it over. It took a little effort but it eventually snapped and fell to the ground.

I went over and sat on the couch as I waited for him.

The front door eventually burst open and he started dragging the tree inside.

"What are you doing?" I laughed.

"You said you wanted a tree." He smiled and toted it across the room, leaving pine needles everywhere.

"Well yeah but you didn't have to go all axe murderer on it." I got up and stood beside him as he leaned the tree up against the wall. "But thank you."

"I didn't really think this whole thing through." He scratched his head. "We don't have a stand and I have no idea if I even have ornaments."

"Do you have popcorn?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Then we have ornaments." I skipped to the kitchen and started searching for popcorn. I popped as many bags as I could find and asked him to grab some string.

"How are these ornaments?" He asked as we started threading the popcorn through.

"Well it's more like garland. My mom and I used to make it all the time." I shrugged and added another one.

"I like it." He popped on in his mouth and continued working.

We finished our popcorn garland and set it on our tree that was still just leaning against the wall. It wasn't perfect but he tried and it's the thought that counts. I suddenly remembered his album that I'd wrapped a few days ago and went upstairs to get it.

"What's that?" He asked.

"One of your gifts. A Christmas tree needs gifts under it." I set the album under the tree and smiled.

We spent the rest of the day watching Christmas movies on TV and baking cookies. Alice and Jasper called to wish us a Merry Christmas and said they were having a great time with his parents.

"Oh and I got my Christmas present early!" Alice squealed. Come to think of it Jasper never told me what he was getting Alice.

"What is it?"

"I'll send you a picture hold on." I heard her fumbling around with her phone and then mine beeped.

"Okay I just got it hold on." I took a big bite of one of the cookies and looked at my screen. I hit the button and a picture of Alice's hand popped up onto the screen. My eyes focused on a shiny ring on her very important finger. "Oh my God…" I whispered. "Oh my God!" I screamed. "Edward!"

"What?" He looked up from the latest batch he was making.

"They're engaged!" I screamed.

"What?" He took my phone from me, looked at the picture and held it up to his ear. "Ali?...He did it already? Congratulations!" He smiled. "I love you too. Merry Christmas." He handed the phone back to me.

"Let me talk to Jasper," I said.

"Okay hold on." Alice handed the phone to Jasper.

"Bells?" He answered.

"You asshole how could you not tell me?" I laughed.

"I'm sorry darlin I didn't trust you not to spoil the surprise." He chuckled under his breath. "And plus I wanted to ask you to be my best man…or woman. Whatever it is."

"You can't ask her to be your best man, her and Rose are my maids of honor!" Alice screamed in the background.

"We'll talk about it later. Have a good Christmas you two." I smiled and said goodbye. "Wow," I breathed. "I wasn't expecting that."

"I was. I went shopping for the ring with him."

"You knew too?" I spun around and gasped. "You both suck." I threw a cookie at him.

"Can you make it through one holiday without throwing food at someone?" He laughed and stuck his tongue out.

"The ring is beautiful. You did a good job."

"So uh…that's what you like?"

"What do you mean?"

"That kind of ring."

"I don't know I guess I've never really thought about it…" A wave of panic shot through me. Why is he asking me this right now? "Why are you thinking about it?"

"Not anytime in the near future or anything, but it did get me thinking about it. Looking at all those rings." He glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

"Oh."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. I know we're not ready for that yet I was just curious."

"No you didn't." I started stirring up some more cookie dough. "But…I mean you could see yourself married to me?"

"Bella I never ever imagined myself getting married….until I met you." He smirked and stole some cookie dough from my bowl.

We finished baking our cookies and fell into lighter conversation than lifetime commitments. The rest of the evening played out much like the night before. We drank wine and I passed out down on the couch. The next thing I knew someone was running their finger up and down my nose.

"That tickles…" I mumbled.

"Well if you don't wake up I'll have to take your present back," Edward teased.

"I'm awake." I forced my eyes open and smiled. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." He leaned forward and kissed me. "I made you breakfast."

I stretched my arms above my head and sat up. "Thank you." I rolled out of bed and we both walked downstairs.

There was a wonderful plate of pancakes and eggs waiting for me in the kitchen, which I quickly inhaled.

"Slow down…" Edward laughed.

"Why don't you go get the gift under the tree? You can open it while I finish."

He disappeared into the living room and returned a moment later with the album. He set it down on the counter and started tearing at the wrapping paper. He pulled out the album and smiled, but I don't think he realized what was inside.

"Open it," I nodded.

He did as I said and laughed. "These are terrible pictures." He held up the first one, a blurry picture of me with my hand in front of my face.

"They're yours. The ones you took in the park that day. Do you remember?"

"That was the day I asked you out." He laughed. "I was so fucking nervous I thought I was going to puke." He flipped through the rest of the pictures. "Thank you I love it."

"That's just part one of the Edward Cullen Christmas Project." I jumped down and went to fetch the big box. I pulled it into the kitchen and grabbed hold of the blanket. "Are you ready?" I had to admit I was a little nervous about how he'd take this. Especially after the whole tennis court debacle.

"Give it to me Swan."

I pulled the blanket back and held my breath.

"A ping pong table?" He asked.

"Yeah…I just…I thought maybe…Listen I know that you're still working through some stuff with the tennis thing but I thought maybe baby steps. And this is baby steps. Literally. It's mini tennis." I shrugged.

"Why…." He started. I thought for sure he was going to get pissed. "…Are you so amazing? This is perfect." He started looking over the box and for just one moment I saw a flicker of that excited I used to see in his eyes when he played. It made me think that maybe he might actually find it again.

"You ready for your presents?" He asked.

"Yeah." I was a little intrigued, considering I hadn't seen him put anything under the tree.

He took my hand and led me through the living room and up the stairs.

"Edward are you giving me sex for Christmas?" I teased.

"No," he laughed. "I mean I'm not saying it's not going to happen, but that's not your gift."

He took us to the hallway and stopped in front of the door that I thought led to the guest room.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Your gift." He cleared his throat and opened the door. I glanced his way before I stepped inside and reached for the light. As soon as I flipped it on all the air rushed out of my lungs.

"Edward…" I breathed.

"I had them redo it while we were gone. I got you all the best stuff. I know you like to use the old school type of camera, but I got you a nice computer so you can at least scan them in and do shit with them if you want. And there's a few different digital cameras and some older ones too…"

"Edward stop talking…" I wasn't trying to be rude but I just couldn't believe he'd done this for me and I just wanted to take it all in. "You're giving me a new darkroom?"

"Well yeah. Your old one had character but it wasn't without its flaws."

"I can't believe you did this for me," I whispered. I turned around and just fucking hugged him because this was one of the nicest things anyone has ever given me. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Although I think you just wanted an excuse for me to be around here more often…" I joked.

"Actually about that. I had something I wanted to ask you."

I felt myself tense in his arms. Didn't we just have this conversation? That we weren't ready to get engaged? What the hell is this?

"Edward I don't think…" I started.

"I want you to move in with me," he sighed. "I mean….if you want to."

I wasn't expecting that. I mean it wasn't like we were apart like…ever. We were living together at my mom's place why should it be any different once I move back here? I would miss living with Jasper but in all fairness he was getting married and it would get a little cramped with all three of us living there. It makes sense. And beyond all that…I wanted to.

"Okay." I nodded.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'll move in with you." I smiled as he hugged me tighter.

"Good Christmas?"

"Best Christmas."

"How about we break in the new ping pong table?" He asked.

"You're on." I laughed and slapped him in the stomach before running downstairs.

It took us awhile to figure out how to assemble it. I was trying to read the instructions to Edward but he wasn't having it, insisting he could do it without the directions. The combination of instructions and non-instructions really fucked the whole thing up. Over an hour later we finally got to playing.

I beat him the first few games and then let him win so he wouldn't feel too bad.

"I guess I am a little rusty…" he said.

"Nothing you can't get back." I grabbed onto his shirt and kissed him.

"Yeah I guess."

I didn't press him any further. Baby steps.

I eventually wandered upstairs while Edward made dinner. I migrated to my new darkroom and started investigating all my new stuff. Maybe I could scan all my Edward pictures onto the computer and make a layout or something. Maybe it would help convince Sports Illustrated that despite all the drama this feature was going to be amazing. We still had some time before the deadline and my pictures were good. I knew they were good.

I brought one of the cameras back downstairs and snapped some pictures of Edward and his house, or I guess our house now. It felt really good to say that.

**A/N: Thanks for all the love everyone! So what did you think of Christmas with Tennisward? I love him.**

**Just a few notes: I have updated the Secret Life blog with some additions to the playlist and a blinkie for the story so make sure to check it out. Also added a Twilighted forum, link is on my profile or on the blog. Also added a blinkie of Tennisward to the GSM blog its some good eye candy so check it out. If anyone wants the codes please let me know. **

**Thanks to those who checked out FFYearbook. I will be putting up the categories for Mock Elections shortly and would appreciate it if you could check them out and mention it to your fandom friends. We can't have mock elections if we don't have nominees and people to vote : ) Right now the categories will just be up to give you some time to think. I'll keep you updated on when nominations will be opening up. Link is on my profile.  
**

**And lastly I think there will be exactly 34 chapters to this story, just for anyone who wanted to know. 3  
**


	31. Testing the Amenities

We started back to Forks the day after Christmas. I decided I was finally ready to move back with Edward so we figured we would pack up my stuff and make sure everything got taken care of at the house.

I felt really happy on the drive home. Edward and I were singing along to the radio and holding hands across the center seat. I had my feet up on the dashboard, my eyes gazing out over the newly fallen snow. I guess I didn't realize how much had fallen over the past couple of days.

I felt Edward tense beside me a moment before he threw his arm in front of me. Everything started happening in slow motion. I heard the screech of the tires as they slid across the black ice. I barely had time to muster a scream as we started spinning around and barreled down into the ditch. We hit something hard and I felt my seatbelt cut into my skin as we came to an abrupt stop.

I blacked out for the slightest moment, just disoriented from the whiplash. When I finally came to again Edward was saying my name over and over. I felt his hands on either side of my face as he gently shook me.

"Bella? Baby are you okay? I'm so sorry I couldn't stop." He looked like he was on the verge of tears as he checked me over. There was a slight cut over his eyebrow and I wondered if his head hit the steering wheel.

"I'm okay," I mumbled. My chest hurt like a motherfucker, probably from the seatbelt, but other than that I didn't think I was hurt. "Are you alright? Look at your head." I reached up and wiped the small trickle of blood from his skin.

"I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt." He looked me over once more and then out the back of the truck. "I don't think I can get this out myself, we're going to have to call a tow. And I want you to get looked at."

"Edward don't be ridiculous. I don't want to cause a big scene for nothing."

"It won't be for nothing. We can either have paramedics check you out or I'll just drive you to the hospital later it's your choice."

I sighed and decided that I'd rather be evaluated out here in the middle of nowhere than have to walk through Forks' hospital. It wasn't that it was a large hospital per se but I'm sure I'd see a ton of people I knew and I wanted to avoid that.

"Fine." I grabbed my phone and dialed Seth's number, knowing that he could pull us out with his tow truck. I had no idea how bad the damage was, but I had a feeling it was going to take some fixing up.

"Bella. What's up?" He answered.

"I actually require your services."

"Did your truck break again?"

"Well…we're in a ditch."

"Oh wow. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine but Edward is insisting I get checked out." I started to think it wasn't that bad of an idea. He should get his head looked at anyway. "Could you call the ambulance and tell them it's not an emergency necessarily, we just want to be safe about it."

"Sure not a problem. Where are you?"

I told him about where I thought we were. I told him to look for the big red truck that decided to fight with a tree. He laughed and told me he'd be right there.

"He'll be here soon…" I said, hanging up the phone.

"You don't think the cops will come do you?" He blinked a few times.

"Why would you care about…Oh shit." What if Charlie comes? "Oh shit!" I yelled. Of course he's going to come. You can't call an ambulance without the cops hearing about it. And he was top dog so he knew everything. This is a disaster.

"It's fine. We'll deal with it okay?" Edward took my trembling hand and kissed it.

We waited for about fifteen minutes before Seth showed up with his truck. Edward hopped out and shook his hand. I looked back and watched him explain what happened just as the sirens started in the distance. I held my breath as they kept getting closer, wondering if it was the ambulance or Daddy Dearest.

"Fuck!" I whispered as the cruiser pulled up on the shoulder. I shook my head and undid my seatbelt.

The ambulance pulled up a moment later and a few EMTs rushed out. They started down the small hill and opened my door.

"Miss Swan are you alright? Can you tell me where it hurts?" One of them asked.

"It's just my shoulder and chest."

"She's got chest pain! Bring down the stretcher!" He called up.

"No. Not that kind of chest pain," I sighed. "The seatbelt just cut into me when we hit."

"Oh. Okay well let's get you up to the truck and take a look at you."

I jumped out of the car and started trudging through the snow.

"Isabella!" Charlie called. "Are you alright?" He met us halfway up the hill and tried to help me. I shook him off and continued on my way.

They took me to the back of the ambulance and I got inside. Edward was helping Seth hook up the truck, throwing dirty glances at Charlie as he stood at the ambulance doors. He watched for a while as they took my vitals and checked out my shoulder. There was a pretty nasty red mark and cut but it wasn't serious.

"Miss Swan everything seems to be in order but we'd really like to take you back to the hospital and get some tests done to make sure there isn't any internal bleeding. Those seatbelts can cause an awful bit of damage that we can't even see…" The EMT said.

"Alright. Take her away." Charlie started to close the door.

"No!" I screamed. "Edward! I need my boyfriend with me. Please." I felt the tears start to prickle behind my eyes. I didn't want to leave him here and I didn't want to be alone.

"Bella?" Edward said. He brushed past Charlie, not even giving him a glance. He jumped into the back of the ambulance and took my hand. "What's going on? What's wrong with her?" He looked between the two EMTs.

"We think she'll be fine. We'd just like to do some tests to be sure," he nodded.

"I don't want to. I just want to go home. Please." The mix of the accident and my dad had me on edge. I didn't want to go anywhere else or be with anyone else except for Edward.

"Baby we have to get you checked out. I'll go with you okay? They can clean up my head." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

"Okay."

"Okay. Let's go boys." Edward sat down in the seat beside me and we were off to the hospital.

I glanced out the back window on the way there and noticed Charlie was following us. I don't know what the fuck he thought he was doing.

When we pulled up to the hospital a nurse brought out a wheelchair for me. I cursed under my breath and shook my head.

"This is ridiculous. I'm fine." I sat down in the chair and crossed my arms in front of me.

They started running a shit ton of tests and Edward stayed with me most of the time. They stole him away while I waited for the results to look at his head and do a cat scan just to make sure he didn't have a concussion or anything.

I got up while I waited and walked over to the small mirror in my room. I pulled back the gown they had me in a little so I could look at the mark on my shoulder. That was going to take a while to heal.

"Gosh honey that looks like it hurts…" Charlie stepped into the room. He took a few steps towards me and looked like he was going to hug me but I flinched back.

"Don't," I mumbled.

"Don't fucking touch her." Edward was suddenly there, forcing his way between Charlie and me. He had a small bandage over his right eye. "Get out."

Charlie sighed and left the room.

"I'm okay," I said, sitting back down on my bed.

"I just can't believe he even has the audacity to be here right now." Edward sighed and sat down beside me.

The doctor came in a few minutes later and cleared both of us to go. I had no idea how we were going to get home exactly but I guess I could call Seth.

I got dressed and we headed to the nurse's station to check out. I noticed Charlie standing by the exit, leaning up against the wall.

"Let me take you two home," he said as we brushed by him.

"Like Hell you will," I snapped.

"Bella…damnit! Just let me take you home, what are you going to do walk?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

I sighed and grabbed Edward's hand as we walked towards the cruiser. I think Charlie assumed I was going to sit up from with him but I settled into the back with Edward.

"I uh…I talked to Seth," Charlie mumbled as he drove us. "Said the truck was pretty banged up but he thought he could have it going again in a couple of days."

Neither Edward nor I answered him even though it was good to know. I wanted to get out of this town as soon as fucking possible.

The rest of the ride was the most awkward I've ever felt in my life. I turned towards Edward and rested my chin on his shoulder as we spoke without words.

Charlie pulled into our driveway and surprised me when he turned the car off. He was off his rocker if he thought he was going to stay for a visit.

We had to wait for him to open the back door for us before we could get out of the cruiser but as soon as he did I went straight into the house. I heard two sets of footsteps behind me and I cursed at my luck today.

"Bella please. I'm your father," Charlie pleaded as he stepped inside.

"You are not my father!" I screamed. I stomped up the stairs and went inside the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

"Don't follow her," Edward snapped.

"Excuse me?" Charlie spat back at him.

"You heard me. You know I don't get you. You say you're trying to be a father where the hell were you when she needed you? Do you have any fucking idea what she went through with her mother? Do you?"

"That's not your business son. You have no idea…"

"Not my business? Bella is my business. And I'm not your son."

I leaned against the doorframe as I listened to them argue.

"Edward is it? You've been in her life for what? Less than a year? I know I've made some mistakes but I've been there a hell of a lot more than you have."

"Were you there when she talked about her mother's illness? Were you there when she showed me the earrings? Or when they were…taken from her? Were you there when she had a fucking emotional breakdown just going into her mom's room? Were you?" There was a long pause. "No I was! I was there! You may have her past Charlie, but I have her present and her future and I'm determined to make it better than she's had lately because she deserves it. She deserves better than you."

I tried to open the door because I was fairly sure a WWE Smackdown was about to occur downstairs and I didn't want it to amount to that. I wasn't too fond of my dad but I also didn't want my boyfriend getting arrested for assaulting the police chief.

"What the fuck?" I whispered, tugging on the doorknob. It wouldn't budge. I checked the lock and everything. It was just fucking stuck.

I heard them screaming at each other downstairs but it was muffled as I started banging on the door. I figured they wouldn't answer but I was starting to feel claustrophobic. I pounded for a few more minutes before giving up. I laid down in the tub and decided to get comfortable.

The screaming eventually stopped and the front door slammed. A few moments later someone stomped up the stairs and the bathroom door somehow flew open. Probably because Edward hockey checked it with his shoulder.

"God he makes me angry!" Edward screamed, slamming the door behind him before I could say anything. "What are you doing?" He rested his hands on his hips as he watched, wondering why I was in the tub.

"Check the door." I was fairly sure he slammed it harder than I did and we were fucked.

"What?"

"The door."

He turned around and tried to open the door but it was stuck again just like I assumed.

"Well…shit," he whispered, looking over the door. "What do we do now?"

"Do you have your phone? We can call Seth I guess," I shrugged.

"Yeah." Edward pulled out his phone and dialed Seth's number. They spoke for a minute before Edward sighed and put his phone down. "He's out on a call. He said he'd be here in an hour."

"Well then please join me." I nodded towards the end of the tub and he sat down. "Thank you. By the way. For dealing with him. I just…shut down sometimes when I even think about him."

"It's okay. You don't have to deal with him if you don't want to."

I smiled and crawled over to rest my head on his chest.

"I need to tell you something, but promise me you won't get mad okay?" I whispered.

"Okay." He started rubbing my back.

"I went to see your father. The morning after."

"What?"

"I told him if all he was going to do was keep disappointing you then we didn't need him in our lives. That you didn't need him." I glanced up at his face expecting him to be pissed. "I'm sorry I know it wasn't my place but he just…"

"I understand," he said softly.

"You do?"

"I'm not going to lie I probably would have been mad if you would have told me before but I get it now. I feel the same way about you and your dad. I understand." He took my face in his hands and kissed me. "And thank you. For caring that much to say that to him. I know it was coming from a good place and I appreciate it."

"I thought you were going to think I was interfering with your life. Like I didn't belong there or something."

"Bella you are my life."

"Yeah?"

"Yep." He smiled and kissed me again.

"You're my life too. At least the best part of it. Makes all the bad shit better."

"You make all the bad shit better too," he laughed.

"Ugh. What are we going to do in here for an hour?" I laid my head back down on his chest.

He laughed under his breath and squeezed my ass.

"God you are such a boy. Are you ever not thinking about sex?" I asked.

He pondered for a long moment before saying anything. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Horny bastard," I sighed.

"Oh I could charm you right out of your panties easily Swan. You're just as obsessed with my ass as I am with yours. Don't think I never noticed you staring."

"Did not," I squeaked.

"So if I stripped down to my boxers right now and started shaking it in your face you wouldn't be affected at all?"

"Nope," I lied. In all honesty he could probably break a slab of concrete with his ass. Like those karate people who try to do it with their heads or arms. Edward could do it with his butt no problem. In fact the concrete would probably just crumble into a million pieces.

He brushed my hair away from my ear and leaned down. "I've got a million ideas running through my head right now and all of them include you naked…" he purred.

"Not interested." I was very interested. I just wanted to see how far he'd take this. We had time and I wasn't giving in so easily. He was being a cocky ass right now so I was going to make him charm me out of my panties just like he said he would.

"Not interested huh? What about on the vanity? You could watch me take you from behind in the mirror?" He grazed his fingertips lightly down my spine. "Or maybe you could sit on the edge of the tub while I go down on you?"

I could tell there was no way I was going to last long if he kept this up. If there was a way to sex it up in here he was going to find it.

"Or I guess old fashioned floor fucking would suffice…" he pondered. "Or in right here in the tub. We could turn the shower on…" he moaned. "You'd look so sexy with the water running down your skin."

I swallowed hard. "Is there an all of the above option?" I whispered.

He didn't say another word as he reached behind him and turned the shower on. I gasped and sat up as the cold water hit me but I didn't have enough time to yell at him. He captured my mouth in his and reached for the hem of my shirt, quickly pulling it over my head. He discarded my bra just as fast, throwing it on the floor. The cold water did interesting things to my body, making things pucker and pop all across my skin. I shivered as he licked his lips and grabbed onto my hips.

I fought with him to get his shirt off because his mouth was permanently attached to my boob. His tongue traveled across the skin, nipping and nibbling his way around. I arched my back and pushed myself closer to him as my fingers fisted through his dripping wet hair. I barely noticed the temperature of the water now. Everything was Edward.

I rocked my hips against his, desperately seeking the friction. The seam of my jeans brushed against the perfect spot and I whimpered and rocked my hips again, frantically trying to find that spot again.

"You are so fucking beautiful." He took my skin between his teeth and bit down. He pulled away for an instant and effortlessly lifted us both up. He set me down on the edge of the tub and turned me around so my feet were planted firmly outside on the rug. He stepped out and knelt down in front of me. He ran his finger along the seam of my sopping jeans before leaning down and rubbing his nose up and down, right across my sensitive spot. He nipped at the spot where all the seams ran together before backing up and reaching for my zipper. He pulled it down and told me to lift my ass up so he could pull them down. They stuck to my skin so he had to work to get them completely down to my ankles. Once he got them off he kissed my foot and continued up my leg and to my inner thigh. I pushed my hips towards him, begging him to just fucking go for it. Go for it young Skywalker.

"I don't know Bella…" he murmured. "You did say you weren't interested…."

"I'm fucking interested now!" I screamed. "Consider my panties charmed off."

He smirked and leaned forward, flicking his tongue out against my flesh. I whimpered and grabbed his head, pushing him closer to me. I felt him smile against my skin as he ran his tongue up and down, sending shivers through my entire body. I felt like maybe I should shun the "Property of Edward Cullen" panties and just get a tattoo or something because this….entire area was fucking owned for life.

He suddenly started nibbling on me and my arms gave out. I almost fell back but he snaked his arm around my waist and held me to him as he worked. His other hand grabbed my knee and placed it over his shoulder. He knew I was close so he added his fingers to the mix and pretty soon I was screaming his name as I fell over the edge. He kissed me once more before settling back on his knees. He shifted his boxers down, completely exposing himself.

I licked my lips and fell forward as I crawled across the floor to get to him. "How do you want me?" I whispered.

"I don't fucking care just get here." He reached out to me and captured my lips in his as I crept over his body. He laid back on the floor as I prowled above him, almost like a lioness in search of her next prey. I growled under my breath and forced myself down on him. He hissed and tugged at my bottom lip with his teeth.

I started moving my hips against his, completely hypersensitive to every sound he was making. I reached behind him and slammed my hand against the door, trying to steady myself as I increased my pace. Edward groaned and reached up, palming my breasts with both hands as they bounced up and down with my movements.

"I'm close again…" I whispered, throwing my head back. He grabbed onto my hips and forced them to stop moving. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Not yet. Get up."

I shook my head and stood up on my shaky legs. If his dick didn't find his way home soon I was going to lose it.

"God! Come on!" I screamed.

He stood up and whipped me around, pushing me up against the vanity. I grasped onto either side of the sink as he slammed into me before I had the chance to bitch again. I glanced up into the mirror and watched both of our faces. You'd think it'd be embarrassing to see yourself like this during sex, but it was kind of hot. You're completely out of control of your body and giving in completely to your impulses and urges. There's never another time where you're like this. It's so…primal.

I bit down on my lip as my eyes connected with his in our reflection. He smirked and grunted, thrusting a few more times.

"Spread your legs," he whispered. He leaned down and kissed my shoulder as I did what he said. I kept my eyes on his as he reached his hand around to the front of me, making everything more intense than I could handle. I screamed out and tried desperately to hold onto the sink.

"Not until I say Bella…" he moaned, pushing my hair over my shoulder. I groaned, trying to hold it all in. I was so close I didn't know if it was possible. I had no control over my body with him. It belonged to him completely. I felt my fingertips started to tingle as my jaw fell slack, my body rocking back and forth slamming against the cool porcelain of the sink.

"I can't," I cried.

"You will," he said forcefully. Bad Edward was out to play. He was pushing all the right buttons, taking me right to the edge and backing me away. I couldn't take his teasing much longer, I was going to break.

"Please," I pleaded.

"Now." He buried himself in me as we both cried out in our release. I collapsed forward, resting my head against the mirror as he ran his fingers through my hair, almost calming me from my high. I finally caught my breath and he stepped back. I turned around and gave him one more tender kiss. His eyes were slightly glazed over, almost like he was drunk off me. It almost made me want him again.

We got dressed and sat back against the bathtub to wait for Seth. At least we took care of a good portion of our wait time. I wonder if I could pull that waiting at the doctor's office or waiting for tables at restaurants. It was definitely the best way to wait in my opinion.

"Bella? Edward?" Seth called from downstairs.

"Up here!" Edward called as he rubbed my neck.

"How the hell did you manage this one?" Seth laughed.

"Don't ask. Long story. Can you get us out?" I asked.

"Yeah but I might have to sacrifice the door."

"I don't care just do it."

He tried just opening it a few times and it didn't budge of course. I would have felt pretty fucking stupid if he came all the over here and it just opened easily. He finally started running against it I think and when that didn't work he went all Jack Nicholson on it and chopped at it with an ax. I never said Seth was subtle.

"I saved you." He smiled and peeked his head inside.

"My hero," I smiled. "Now chop up the rest of the firewood and get us out."

"What did you guys do in here for an hour?"

"Tested out some of the amenities." Edward smiled.

"And how were they?"

"Very sturdy." He laughed as I slapped his chest.

Seth finally chopped the rest of the door and we stepped out.

"Fresh air." I inhaled deeply and smiled.

"Thanks for coming out Seth. We owe you. Who knows how long we would have been stuck in there…" Edward shook his hand and offered to pay him something but Seth refused of course.

Seth hung around for a little and we filled him in on everything that happened over Christmas. He was a sad that we were leaving but told us we had to promise to come back and visit. I told him that he should bring the guys up to Seattle sometime.

He eventually left and Edward and I packed up a few things. I was exhausted from all the events of the day so I didn't last long. I finally curled up on the bed and watched him move around me, grabbing clothes and other things and packing them into our suitcases.

"What's this?" He teased, nodding to my new comfortable position.

"I'm supervising." I yawned and snuggled into my pillow.

"Supervise my ass," he laughed.

"Yes. I'm supervising your ass." I smirked and focused in on his man cheeks as they crossed the room.

"I told you that you loved my ass."

"You're right baby, I love your ass…" I whispered, half asleep.

The last thing I remember is Edward shaking it excessively as he zipped up one of the suitcases. If that was the last thing I saw for the rest of my life I'd die a happy woman. Maybe I could take a video of him booty dancing and project it onto my ceiling. I'll look into it.

**A/N; Who's going to run and "test the amenities" of their bathroom now? *Points to person in the front* You're going to do it!**

**Thanks everyone! I wish I could send a personal Tennisward to each and every one of you.**

**Also you're like 5 reviews away from another outtake so make sure to include any options you want on the poll. You get one more outtake before Tennisward is all over : ( I'll post the poll in a couple of days and let you know how long it'll be running for.  
**


	32. Culprits

We'd been back in Seattle a few days and were planning on celebrating New Years with the rest of the gang. I was really looking forward to it since we'd missed out on so much time due to the Bella/Alice War. Alice was planning on having a party at her place, just the six of us.

Moving out of my apartment with Jasper was harder than I thought it would be. He's been with me for so long, almost like my shadow, and it was hard to imagine him just not being there. We were like two peas in a pod, Bert and Ernie, Lucy and Ethel, Will and Grace. I knew it was overly melodramatic but it was a life-changing event.

"Are you sure you have everything?" Jasper said, glancing sadly my way as I set my last bag towards the door.

"Yeah I think so." I shrugged and looked around. I left most of the common stuff since Edward had it already. I told Jasper it was my wedding gift to him and Alice.

"Okay." Jasper shuffled his feet from side to side and looked down at the floor.

I felt the tears start to prickle behind my eyes and sniffled, trying to hold them back. I sauntered over and wrapped my arms around Jasper. There wouldn't be any more Jasper and Bella Sex and the City marathons, or Jasper makes Bella dinner nights. And he won't be there when a thunderstorm gets really bad. I know I had Edward and I was happy about that, but it was still sad that I was losing that part of Jasper. Not only was I moving in with Edward but he was getting married. We were never going to be the same.

"I'm going to miss you," he mumbled, holding me tight.

"Me too."

Before I knew it we were both crying. I've only seen Jasper cry twice before. Once when we watched Bambi and the other when we watched Beaches. I guess certain movies just got to him.

"You two realize you're going to see each other tomorrow?" Edward sighed and stepped inside to get the last of my bags.

"It's not the same," Jasper sniffled.

"What? Do you want all four of us to move into a big communal house?" He joked.

"Yes! Can we?" I asked.

"No. I'll be down in the car." Edward picked up my bag and left.

I sighed and pulled back. "He's right we are going to see each other tomorrow." I wiped at my eyes and laughed. "We definitely have a flair for the dramatic don't we?"

"Bells I'm from the South. We're all about three things. Big hair, cowboy boots, and drama. It's what I'm programmed for."

"Alright I'll see you soon." I gave him a wimpy wave and started towards the door.

"I love you."

"I love you too BFF!" I turned around and blew him a kiss before disappearing down the hallway.

Edward was waiting for me down in the car that he rarely drove. He thought it'd be the easiest way to transport all my stuff. We'd been moving stuff gradually ever since we got back but this was the last of it.

My things had started making their way around Edward's house. Just little touches here or there. It made it feel a little more like my home than just his. It was ours.

I placed some of my pictures around the house as well as some pillows and blankets. Edward said we could redecorate any part of the house I wanted to so it wasn't so manly, but I didn't really mind. Edward had good taste, or I guess whoever Edward hired to decorate his house had good taste. It was sleek, clean and simplistic for the most part and I was okay with it.

I was putting my things away in the bathroom when my phone rang.

"Hey Alice."

"Hi." She didn't sound right. I mean she wasn't pissed or anything but something was off. She almost sounded…scared. I've never known her to be scared.

"What's wrong?"

"Is Edward around?"

"No he ran into town to get us a pizza. What's going on?"

"Bella I got a call today and I don't know what it means. I'm scared to tell him."

I sat down on the bed and a million thoughts ran through my head. Extortion, fraud, blackmail or worse…Edward Senior. "Okay who was it?"

"The Tennis commission. They want to have a hearing right after the holiday. They wouldn't really tell me anything but it must be something big don't you think?"

"Shit," I whispered. "I don't know probably. What could it be?"

"I don't know. We haven't heard anything from them since his suspension so I assumed they'd closed the case. I hired a private investigator to look into it but he didn't come up with anything."

"So it could be good then?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure which is why I don't know if I should even tell him. I mean I know I have to tell him but should I tell him before New Year's? You know he's just going to freak out and won't let it go. He'll be unbearable."

"I don't think you give him enough credit, but I understand. It's definitely something that's going to rattle him." I started biting on my nails because I was so nervous. What the fuck could they want now? They only ruined his life and threw his reputation as an athlete in the crapper, what else could they do?

"What do you think?"

"Wait until after New Year's. I can…tell him if you want. Or at least be around when you tell him."

"Okay."

"Roomie I'm home!" Edward yelled from downstairs.

"He's back. I've gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow," I said quickly.

"Okay bye."

I hung up and threw my phone on the bed as Edward bounded up the stairs.

"I got us something really special for our first official night of living together." He smiled and stepped into the room.

"What?" I tried to smile but I knew it didn't reach my eyes. My mind wouldn't stop racing with Alice's news.

"Pizza and beer." He set down the pizza box right on the bed and handed me a bottle. "What's wrong?" He opened his bottle and took a sip.

"Nothing." I shrugged and opened the pizza box.

"You aren't having second thoughts are you? About moving in here? If you aren't ready we don't have to…"

"No." I winced and shook my head. "No it's not that I don't have second thoughts okay? I'm sure about this."

"Okay." He sat down on the bed and took a piece of pizza. "I have one request though."

"What's that?"

"All your girly shit, like your Vaga-whatever and your…" He looked around and lowered his voice. "…Tampons. I don't want to see them. Keep them in one cupboard and tell me which one it is. I don't want to see them," he repeated.

"Okay I think I can do that," I laughed. "You're cute."

"You're sexy." He took a big bite of his pizza and smiled. "I think we should christen our bed." He winked.

"It's not like we haven't had sex on this bed."

"I know but back then it wasn't ours. It's ours now."

"I think I like the sound of that." I leaned over the pizza box and pressed my lips to his. "I love you."

"I love you." He smiled and gulped down the rest of his beer.

We finished our pizza and had a few more beers while we watched television in bed. When I got bored I started flipping through the channels and noticed Beaches was on. _Coincidence you're a bitch._

"What?" Edward asked, noting my change of mood.

"This movie. This is my and Jasper's movie."

"What is it?"

"You've never seen Beaches?"

"What the fuck is Beaches? Is it like Baywatch?"

"No it's not like Baywatch. It's like…the saddest movie ever made. Besides Titanic."

"Let's watch this shit then." He grabbed the pizza box and set it on the floor as he cracked open another beer. He snuggled up close to me and we watched Beaches.

Edward was sobbing at the end, almost worse than Jasper. "This is fucking brutal why did you make me watch this?" He wiped his eyes.

"I didn't make you do shit." I wiped at my own eyes and laughed a little. I've never seen him react like this, he was acting so…emotional.

"I think you owe me sex now." He shut the television off and rolled on his side.

"I don't owe you anything." I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. I was a little buzzed but I wasn't drunk by any means.

"Fine. No Edward for you." He pretended to close his eyes and go to sleep.

"Oh please. Like I couldn't charm you out of your panties Cullen…." I purred, echoing his words.

"Could not," he mumbled.

"Oh I could." I crawled across him, suddenly thankful that I'd found my little underwear drawer friend in a potted plant in Jasper's living room earlier. I washed it and put it in my duffel on a whim and I guess it panned out. He had no idea what was about to hit him.

I reached inside the nightstand and pulled it out, flipping the switch as soon as I found the button. Edward suddenly sat up in the darkness and whipped around.

"Is that what I think it is?" He mumbled.

"Maybe." I knew he'd see it any second. It was glow in the dark.

"Holy fuck it is. Let me see it."

"Nope. You weren't interested…" I laughed.

I laid down beside him and flicked my tongue out. It didn't taste the best, mostly like plastic and soap but I knew it would drive him crazy. I popped my mouth off the end and slowly dragged it down my chest. It dipped into my cleavage for the slightest moment before reappearing and continuing its trail down my stomach. I lifted my butt so I could pull my pants down. I kicked them off and heard them land with a thud on the floor. I knew this was going to be the killer that did him in.

I continued down my stomach and whimpered as it crossed my sensitive spot. I could almost see him licking his lips beside me. As soon as I pushed it inside me I arched my back off the bed, imagining it was him instead. I could only imagine what it looked like to him, the yellow glow disappearing and reappearing with each thrust.

"God that is so hot," he whispered. I felt him move beside me and set himself back down on the bed. He leaned over and started caressing my arm, tracing his finger and up down, barely ghosting across the skin. I shivered at the sensation and smiled. I pulled my knees up so I could get better access and cried out when I hit the right spot. I used to feel a little embarrassed about this kind of thing but not with Edward. It made me feel sexy that he found it sexy.

He moved his body a little closer to mine and all I felt was skin. He was completely naked. He leaned in and whispered into my ear. "I'm touching myself right now." He tugged lightly with his teeth and I heard him grunt loudly.

My breathing started to grow erratic at the thought. I never thought the idea of him jerking off was necessarily sexy, but right now it was. It was the most erotic thing we've ever done together without actually being intimate.

I bit down on my lip and started moving my hand faster. Edward leaned over and started kissing my neck, working his way up my jaw and finally lips. He placed wet kisses on the side of my mouth before completely devouring it, plunging his tongue between my lips. I craned my neck towards him while I kept working, trying desperately to get off. I could feel him beside me, jerking his hand so violently up and down that the entire bed shook with both of our movements.

I cried out as I fell over the edge and my entire body shook with pleasure. I hummed a little to myself and smiled at the high I was feeling as I melted into the bed. A few moments later Edward groaned and I felt warm liquid squirt across my stomach.

"Sorry," he breathed. He laid back onto the bed and tried to catch his breath.

"It's okay," I laughed. I got up and went to the bathroom to clean myself up before returning to bed. I flopped down and rested on top of him.

"That was the best non-sex I've ever had…" he whispered, his eyes still closed.

"Me too." I leaned forward and kissed him before resting my head on his chest. We both fell asleep and didn't wake until late the next morning.

I'd bought a cute cocktail dress for Alice's party tonight because she had insisted that we dress up. Edward kept it simple with just a black jacket and tie, white dress shirt underneath. I matched him perfectly in my little black dress.

We took off and arrived at Alice's right on time. Emmett and Rosalie were already there and I gave them both a hug. Jasper gave me the biggest hug of his life. I think that we were both still recovering from our separation. I told him that Edward watched Beaches with me last night and that he cried too.

Alice quickly offered us all some champagne and we hung around for the rest of the evening. She had an array of finger foods mostly and it kept me full.

Despite the fact that I had slept in today I still found myself feeling tired around eleven. It was the sign that I was getting old I decided. Only the lame ones went to sleep before midnight on New Year's and I was vowing not to be lame.

"Feeling a little tired?" Edward asked. He nudged my head that was laying his shoulder and laughed.

"Yeah."

"Maybe it was from your strenuous activity last night?" He smirked and laughed a little under his breath.

"That's odd I thought that you'd want that activity to happen again so I don't understand why you're teasing me about it?"

"I'll shut it now."

"Good thinking."

I had another glass of champagne and found my second wind as 11:45 rolled around. I found an old party hat and noisemaker. I was all set. Bring on midnight bitch.

Jasper had TiVo'd the New York celebration and timed it so it would work out perfectly out here. I felt a spring of excitement jump in me when the ball lit up. It was always my favorite part as a kid.

We started a countdown as it started dropping towards the big numbers at the bottom. I pulled Edward to my side and smiled as it reached the bottom. The crowd in New York erupted in cheers as they rang in the New Year. Alice and Rosalie threw confetti up, some landing on Edward and I.

"Happy New Year!" Alice screamed and pulled Jasper in for a chaste kiss. Emmett and Rosalie did the same.

I turned towards Edward and grabbed onto the hem of his jacket as I pulled him close. "Happy New Year superstar," I whispered.

"Happy New Year." He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. My hands drifted down from his jacket to the waistband of his pants. I tugged a little and was more than happy when he pressed himself into me. "Very happy New Year…" he mumbled against my lips.

I laughed and took his bottom lip between my teeth, pulling him closer. His hands roamed down my waist and eventually found my ass, just like they always did. I guess we were just ass people what can I say?

I barely heard someone clear their throat beside us. "Get a fucking room," Emmett laughed.

"I'd love to," I whispered, keeping my mouth pressed to Edward's. He squeezed my ass and I completely lost myself in the moment. I jumped up into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist.

"Horny fuckers," Alice sighed. They started talking amongst themselves and I assumed they were just planning on ignoring us. I was okay with that. I was having a visit with Edward's lips and it was going extremely well.

"We'll be right back." Edward sauntered towards the bathroom and closed the door behind us.

"What are you doing?" I laughed.

"I just can't get enough of you and I don't think they'd be too happy if I violated you in front of them."

"I'm pretty sure you violated me last night…" I arched my neck up as he started kissing my skin.

"I didn't do a damn thing to you. That was all your doing."

"I imagined it was you," I breathed. "You're the only one who can do that to me…."

He groaned and set me on the counter before dropping to his knees. Most people look forward to their New Year's kiss but I'm pretty sure the one I was about to get would top them all. Take that fuckers I win.

He smirked and I knew he could see clear up my dress.

"I know most guys like thongs but you look so sexy in boy shorts baby…" he started kissing my inner thigh and worked his way up. "The way your ass peeks out a little it's just…fucking perfect."

I whimpered and ran my fingers through his hair as he continued up. Edward was just about to reach the Promised Land when someone knocked on the door.

"Get out I've gotta pee!" Rose knocked again.

"Can you just wait….five minutes?" I asked, fisting Edward's hair. He licked along the seam of my underwear and I moaned.

"Like it or not I'm coming in there in thirty seconds. I just pray that you're clothed because I'm not interested in seeing any of that action." She started counting as Edward nuzzled his nose into me.

"Well that's disappointing," he murmured. "It was like I got to sample the buffet but didn't get to really….taste it."

"Just do it. Just try," I pleased.

"Sweetheart I know you think my tongue is magical but thirty seconds is impossible. I'm sorry." He laughed and jumped up. "I'll make it up to you later…"

"Twice?"

"Three times." He smiled and pulled me down off the counter. My knees almost went weak at the thought of it.

We whipped the door open and found Rose standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You owe me big time." I pointed my finger at her and brushed past, toting Edward behind me.

We didn't stay too much longer, but I made sure to talk to Alice before we left.

"When is the hearing?" I asked quietly.

"Two days. At nine a.m."

"Okay. I'll talk to him about it tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. No worries." I gave her a hug and slipped away. I was ready to collect on my debt so I was anxious to get home.

I didn't sleep as well that night because I was a little nervous about telling Edward. I finally got up at eight and started pacing around the bedroom, waiting for him to get up. I finally sat down in the chair and buried my head in my hands.

"Bella?" He whispered. "What's going on?"

I looked up and found him halfway sitting up, running his fingers through his hair.

"Remember the other night when you asked me if something was wrong? I lied. Well I didn't really lie but there is something…happening."

"Okay?" He scooted to the edge of the bed and waited.

"The tennis commission called Alice. They want you to come in tomorrow morning for an emergency hearing."

"What?"

"She said they didn't say what it was about or anything and that's all I know."

His eyes darted around the room and I wondered if he was mad at me for not telling him at first. "I need a minute." He disappeared into the bathroom.

A minute turned into an hour and eventually the whole day. He moped around with a strange look on his face the entire time. This was one time I wish I knew what was going through his head but I just couldn't figure it out. He was mean or rude to me he just wasn't really anything. I gave him a little space and let him do his thing, but it worried me. He didn't come to bed that night and I found him playing his piano around three in the morning. I didn't disturb him; I just turned around and went back to bed assuming it was his way of dealing right now.

When I woke up at seven thirty he was already dressed and ready to go. I assumed from the dark circles under his eyes that he hadn't slept.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He shrugged his response. I nodded and got up. I got dressed quickly and we headed down to the building to meet Alice. It was anything like a courthouse by any means, just a large building with a lot of large meeting rooms. The room we were led to looked a little more like a courtroom. There were rows and rows of chairs as well as a riser with tables for the commission at the front.

People started filling in and I was a little surprised at the crowd. Jasper, Emmett and Rose came in and sat behind us. I barely recognized James's sister sitting across the row. I wondered what she was doing here but it quickly slipped my mind because a line of people stepped out onto the risers. They took their seats and the one in the middle started speaking.

"Good morning everyone. First of all thank you for joining us, I know this is a bit of a holiday week so we appreciate it, but we felt it was necessary." He shuffled some papers. "Mr. Cullen?" He looked up.

Edward stood up. "Yes sir."

"This hearing is to discuss the current status of your suspension. In light of recent evidence there has been some question as to whether it holds merit."

"Recent evidence?" Edward asked. I glanced at Alice and she shrugged.

"A week ago we had an employee come forward. He was in charge of running our drug tests, worked in the lab and such. He claims to have been paid off by a source he refuses to name to tamper with your steroid test. He's provided intimate details of the situation and taken a polygraph test to prove his story. He passed." The man offered a slight smile. "This is of course something we'll be investigating further, as it is a very serious matter, but we wanted to rectify your status as soon as possible. As long as you take another test at random and pass, your suspension will be lifted immediately and you will be eligible to participate in tournaments and matches again. Would you be willing to do so?"

Edward shrugged, but didn't really seem that excited. I didn't understand that. I thought he'd be as thrilled as I was right now. He could play again. It was all a mistake. He could have his life back.

"Then this hearing is recessed until tests are completed. Thank you for your time."

Alice and I smiled at each other as Emmett started cheering. This was huge.

"Edward?" I smiled and tugged on his sleeve. "Did you even hear what they said?"

"Yeah," he mumbled. Maybe he was just in shock or something. Edward wasn't usually one to hold in his emotions, especially during times like this. Something was off.

The red flash of James' sister's hair caught my eye and I turned her way. She scowled in our direction and tucked her hair behind her ear. I froze on the spot. Those were my earrings.

"Edward?" I stuttered, grabbing his sleeve a little harder.

"What?"

"It was James. Who broke into my hotel room. She's got my earrings…" I nodded towards Victoria.

Edward tensed before walking straight towards her. "Miss Baxter," he smiled.

"Mr. Cullen," she said flatly. "Congratulations on your reinstatement." She didn't seem too happy.

"Thank you. I believe you have something that belongs to my girlfriend."

"Excuse me?"

"How much did you have to pay the hotel employee to get into the room?" He smirked at her and reached for the earrings. He fingered along her ear and pulled back.

"Are you insinuating…."

"Damn right I'm insinuating. Your ass of a brother was pissed. You paid the hotel employee to get into her room. You took the earrings and the pictures and you sold them to the media. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if you were behind this whole steroid thing. I know you have a lot of power but you're not getting away with it anymore. I can guarantee it. Give them back to me now." He held out his hand.

She glared before reaching up and taking my earrings out. She handed them to Edward and started towards the door.

"You'll be hearing from my lawyer Red!" He called after her. "You're about to get sued up the ass!"

I felt the tears well up in my eyes as he started back to me with my earrings. He smiled and held them out to me. I took them and examined them closely. I hoped they weren't tainted because she'd worn them.

"Commissioner?" Edward turned around and called out to the man who'd spoken earlier. "I know this is a little unorthodox but may I speak with you in private?"

"Uh…of course."

Edward followed him to his office and the rest of us waited outside while they talked. I wasn't quite sure what they were talking about; I was just ecstatic to have my earrings back. They meant the world to me.

An hour later Edward emerged with a smile on his face.

"What'd you do?" I asked, taking his hand in mine.

"I told him my suspicions and about everything that's happened with James. They're going to look into them more closely. They'll keep us informed."

We went out to lunch to celebrate after but Edward still wasn't as excited as I thought he'd be. I waited until we were back home before I tried talking to him about it.

"You know you should start training right away. I bet if you work your ass off you could still make the Australian…" I sat down and pulled my shoes off.

"I don't think so."

"What do you mean? You're the hardest worker I know. Don't you want to get back in the game as soon as possible?" I laughed and stood back up.

"No." He frowned and started up the stairs. "I don't want to play. This doesn't change anything. I'm done with tennis."

**A/N:**

**I just want to give Tennisward a huge hug, he's just so broken and it makes my heart hurt. And fyi if you have not seen Beaches kindly visit your local video store as soon as possible and rent it. You may want to pick up a box of Kleenex at the store on your way back.  
**

**Reminder there are 34 chapters of this story including the epi so we're close to wrapping everything up : )/:(**

**I have put up the poll for the last outtake. This time you can only choose 1 option and I will keep the poll up until Friday so I can hopefully get that written this weekend.**

**I have also posted an exclusive teaser for SL on the Twilighted thread that you won't find anywhere else. I'd appreciate it if you took a look and maybe left some love. This story is truly a labor of love for me, which I'll explain at some point, and I hope you guys love it. The link is in my profile.**

**Lastly, please take a look at FFYearbook's page and check out the categories for Mock Elections. We want to recognize the amazing authors in our fandom and we can't do it without your help. We only have the categories up now just to get you thinking but will post news on when nominations will open. The link for that is also on my profile.**

**And I don't think I say it enough, but thank you for all of your amazing support not only for this story but just my work in general. It means the world to me and you guys are kickass.**

**My recc this time is An Introduction to Swirl and Daisy by m81170. I don't think I've ever read something that had me smiling and laughing as much as this fic. It is truly fantastic and brings me back to being a 13 year old girl like no other. Give it a try I promise you won't regret it.  
**


	33. Falling Into Place

A month later the sport's world was still buzzing with all the drama surrounding Edward. The police interviewed every hotel and employee and one of them finally confessed that James and Victoria had paid him for access to my room. Apparently they were just looking for something incriminating on Edward and I. Victoria just happened to like my earrings and decided to make it look more like an actual robbery. After everything with the Charity Gala and James falling off the deep end, Victoria had decided it was Edward's fault and wanted to ruin him. Despite the fact that he could play now I was terrified that she'd succeeded. He still wasn't interested in playing. That fire in his eyes that I saw before? That passion? It was gone.

I'd used the computer and scanner Edward had gotten me and laid out all the pictures I'd taken. It was amazing to see them all together, almost like a visual journey of everything we'd been through. I've never seen so much strength and determination in one person than I saw in him in those pictures and it broke my heart that he'd lost it. I didn't want to push him into something if he generally didn't want it, but I believed with everything I had that he wanted it. I just had to help him realize it.

"Bella?" Edward stepped into the room and smiled. "Are you busy?"

"Nope." I clicked back through towards the first picture. "Come here and look. I mean if you want to. I know it might…"

"No I want to see them. They're your pictures." He smiled and pulled up a chair.

I clicked through each of the pictures, glancing his way out of the corner of my eye each time. I was waiting for him to get upset. Waiting for the blow up. It never happened. He just sat and watched intently as the pictures flipped across the screen. There were ones of him practicing, or playing, or taking breaks. There were pictures of him at press conferences and behind the scenes. And each one had that spark about them. There was something behind his eyes in every single of them that screamed "I love my life."

I took a deep breath and turned towards him when I was finished.

"So what did you think?" I asked.

"They're beautiful."

"Well of course they're beautiful, you're in them." I leaned forward and kissed him.

"No I mean…Bella you take…beautiful pictures, no matter the subject."

"Thank you." My eyes started to tear up at the sincerity in his voice. I've had people tell me I was a good photographer before but it meant more coming from him. "I have to go get ready for our meeting, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Is it okay I look through them some more?"

"Of course. I have them already saved on a disk and all the prints and negatives for Mr. Cleary. You can look through them as much as you want."

"Okay," he smiled and nodded. "Good luck at your meeting." He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine before turning back to the computer.

"Thanks." I watched him for a moment before I got up go get changed. Once I was ready I grabbed my portfolio packed with everything I needed and headed out. Alice was meeting me at the Sports Illustrated office because her and Jasper had some wedding appointment for a photographer. I had told her I'd be happy to take her pictures for free, but she insisted that I should be able to just enjoy the wedding and not worry about working. They had been incredibly busy lately since they were trying to pull the wedding together by summer.

Frank offered to drive me so I wouldn't have to take a cab. I could have asked Edward but I had a feeling him wanting to spend time with those pictures was a huge thing for him and I didn't want to interrupt.

Alice still wasn't there when I got to the Sport's Illustrated office so I just sat down and waited. A few people stared at me but I'd grown used to it. People were starting to recognize me more and more as Edward's girlfriend, especially those more attuned to the sport's world.

My phone started vibrating in my pocket and I wondered if it was Alice telling me she wouldn't be able to make it. I would probably pass out if she cancelled on me. I didn't want to do this by myself. I'd get way overwhelmed.

I read over the number, but didn't recognize it. I looked around the room and quietly answered.

"Hello?"

"Isabella Swan?" The woman on the other end didn't sound familiar and I wondered how she knew my name.

"Yes?" I started fidgeting with my portfolio.

"This is Nina Stewart from National Geographic." _Oh my God._

"Hi Nina how are you?" I tried to keep my voice steady, but I was nervous as Hell. I'd sent in some of my pictures from Isle Esme a while ago and never heard from them.

"Doing well. Listen we got your photos and we love them. We're going to print them in our next issue."

"No shit?" I gasped, cursing myself inside. I can't believe I just said that. I was just so shocked.

"Shit," she laughed. "We'd love to talk more with you about becoming a contributing photographer for National Geographic. What do you think?"

"I think I'm all over that."

"Okay fantastic. I'll call you later this week to arrange a meeting."

"Alright that sounds great. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Congratulations."

"Thanks." I hung up the phone and told myself to breathe. I was going to work at National Geographic. I was going to be able to take my kind of pictures for my kind of magazine and they were actually going to pay me for it. "Yes!" I screamed. Everyone in the waiting room glanced at me and I diverted my eyes to the floor.

The elevator doors opened and Alice stepped out, talking away on her phone. She looked exhausted even though she didn't have quite as much work to do now that Edward wasn't playing anymore. She still had the wedding to keep her busy though so maybe it was good timing.

"Miss Swan and Miss Cullen. Mr. Cleary will see you now." The secretary stood and led us towards the long hallway. Alice was on the phone all the way until we reached Mr. Cleary's office.

"Mr. Cleary. It's nice to see you again." Alice shook his hand and smiled.

"You too Miss Cullen. And Miss Swan I'm very interested to see what you have for us today."

I nodded and sat down. I handed him my portfolio and waited as he sifted through all my work. I think Alice could tell something was up with me because she kept looking at me weird.

Mr. Cleary finally set the photos down and stared at me for a long moment. I stared right back wondering what the fuck he was doing. It was generally creeping me out.

"Well Miss Swan I have to say this was everything I was expecting…and much more. Easily one of our best features. I have to speak to the board before I officially say this but…Welcome to Sports Illustrated." He smiled and Alice started squealing.

"Thank you for the offer Mr. Cleary but I respectfully decline to accept it." I smiled.

"What?" Alice squeaked. She turned towards me and kinked her eyebrow.

"I received a job offer from National Geographic and I just think that would be a better suit for me."

"That's surprising with how great your photos are Miss Swan. The sports world suits you," Mr. Cleary said.

"Listen I appreciate everything this job has…given me. It's changed my life and I'll always be grateful, but sports are just not my thing. Let me know if you need anything else for the feature." I stood and shook Mr. Cleary's hand before walking out.

"Bella!" Alice called. She ran and caught up with me halfway down the hallway. "How did you not tell me about this?"

"I'm sorry I just found out. They literally called me while I was in the waiting room."

"Congratulations!" She threw her arms around me as we tried to walk.

"Thanks."

"Everything is just falling into place!"

"Almost…everything."

"Sweetie you need to stop worrying about Edward. He's going to do his own thing regardless. Do you think that little shitbag ever listened to me before? And I'm his sister. He's going to do it his own way and there's not a damn thing we can do about it."

"I know but I just…I know that he wants to play. I know it."

"I know it too. And Emmett knows it. And even Rosalie knows it. We just have to wait for him to know it."

We got onto the elevator and started down.

"It's kind of strange that we met on this elevator huh?" I said.

"Yeah. Just imagine….if you would have actually been on time to your interview you could be working at Modern Dog right now instead of National Geographic and humping the nerd in the next cubicle instead of my athlete brother."

"I've never been so happy to be late in my life," I laughed. "So how'd the meeting with the photographer go?"

"They were okay. I think we're still looking. And by the way Jasper and I have come up with a compromise about the whole…best man/maid of honor thing."

"Okay spill."

"Well Jasper was going to ask Edward to be one of his groomsmen, but he can't since he's walking me down the aisle with Carlisle. So in exchange for Edward you will be Jasper's best man….or woman. And Rose will be my maid of honor. Although I hope you know you're also maid of honor in spirit."

I took a deep breath and tried to process everything she said. "Okay I think I've got it."

"Alright well I've got to get going. I have another meeting. But I'm really happy for you about the whole…job thing. It's great."

"Thanks. I'll see you soon."

I called Frank to come get me and grabbed a coffee while I waited. When he picked me up he asked me how the meeting went and I told him it went well. I held back the whole National Geographic thing because I wanted Edward to know before I started telling the world, even though telling Alice was like telling the world. I hoped I could get home before she called him and accidentally let it slip.

Frank dropped me off at the door and I walked inside.

"Edward?" I started up the stairs.

"Yeah."

I turned around when I heard his voice in the kitchen. I set my bag down on the couch and made my way towards him. I smiled as soon as I saw him. He sat at the dining room table in his sweats tying on a pair of tennis shoes. His tennis racquet was propped up beside him.

"Where are you going?" I cocked my eyebrow and leaned against the doorway.

"I uh….I'm going to go hit around a little." I could tell he was trying to sound casual.

"Really?"

"Yeah." He finished tying his shoe. "How'd the meeting go?"

"It went good. They offered me a job."

"Seriously?" He smiled. "Baby that's so great."

"I didn't take it."

"What? Why?"

I smirked and walked over to him before lowering myself down onto his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Because I already took the one at National Geographic."

"National Geographic?"

"Yeah."

"You're going to be a photographer for National Geographic?"

"Yes."

"No shit?" He grinned and kissed me again.

"That's what I said."

"That's….amazing. I can stay home we need to celebrate." He leaned down and started sucking on my neck.

"No." I shook my head. "No you go. We can celebrate later."

"Are you sure?" He mumbled against my skin.

"Yeah."

He gripped my hips and pulled me closer to him, humming right into my ear. "I'm so fucking proud of you." He brushed his lips softly against my shoulder and stood us up, plopping me right on my feet. "I'll be back soon."

"Take your time."

After Edward left I called Jasper and talked to him about the job offer and some wedding things. He was actually making an effort to be involved as much as possible and I thought that was great. I wasn't sure Alice was allowing him to do much, but it was the effort that counted. It wasn't that she didn't want his help, I think she just got a little overbearing and excited about things and she comes off as a little controlling. Shocker right? Saying Alice can be a little controlling is like saying that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

I cleaned up the darkroom a little and did some laundry. I was almost completely out of underwear and that was my signal it was time. I never promised Edward I was a Stepford wife so he'd have to deal with my living habits. He was usually the one who ended up getting frustrated and cleaning anyway. We'd only lived together for a month and I could tell he was anal about some things. He hated when I left the toothpaste out on the counter in the morning. Or when I didn't turn the fan on when I was taking a shower. Apparently it contributed to mildew or some shit. I have no idea how he knew that but he kept reminding me until he just gave up and started flipping it on for me when he walked by. We'd kind of fallen into the habit of living with one another. It wasn't like it was necessarily routine or boring, we just knew each other's quirks by now and were adjusting to them. I had to accept that it was hard for a guy who was used to living alone to remember to put the toilet seat down. And he had to accept that despite having my cabinet of girly stuff I'd eventually have to write down tampons on our grocery list so I wouldn't forget.

When the laundry was finished I went upstairs to put everything away and was surprised to find the little tennis skirt he'd gotten me hiding in the back of my underwear drawer. I didn't even remember packing it and hadn't even thought about it since the night I contemplated burning it to pieces, but there it was. I smiled and pulled it out, figuring it was appropriate for the occasion.

I shrugged out of my clothes and slipped it on, sans underwear this time. I went downstairs and grabbed myself a beer before migrating back to the bedroom. I sat down in the chair and waited very patiently for him to get home.

I smiled as I heard the door slam downstairs.

"Babe?" He called.

"Up here."

He started stomping up the stairs talking a mile a minute. "I think I can do it. I mean I'll probably take the year off to get refocused and back in shape but I think that I still have it. I just have to stop getting bogged down and just love the…game." He stopped as soon as he got to the doorway, his eyes widening as he took in my half naked body sitting in the chair. His hair was a complete mess and I could see from way over here that his shirt was drenched. He must have worked hard.

"You're sweaty," I mumbled.

"You're….topless."

"And bottomless. If you know what I mean." I uncrossed my legs and rested them a little wider than usual.

He smirked and set his racquet down against the bed. He pulled his shirt off and threw it in the hamper before making his way over to me, kneeling down between my legs.

"Can we keep this on?" He asked, fingering along the edge of the skirt.

"I think that's probably the only time you've ever asked me to actually keep my clothes on…" I laughed.

"I don't dispute that," he admitted. "How could I not want to see you when you're so fucking perfect?" He leaned down and brushed his lips against my inner thigh. "You're everything." He licked his lips and stuck his hand under my skirt. He glanced up at me and grinned, just knowing he was about to drive me crazy. That was one of the sexiest things about him. He was always interested in the reaction. Almost like he was taking mental notes, studying you like you're an exhibit. He knows all the right buttons to push, every spot to hit, every sound you're going to make. Edward knew he was a force to be reckoned with and he had no problem unleashing it. And whenever he did I completely lost control.

He inched his way up my body as his hand continued up my skirt, brushing every so lightly across my skin. I whimpered and arched my back towards him as he smirked and ran his teeth across my breast.

He continued up to my neck and ran his tongue across my collarbone. "Do you want to go for a ride baby?" He tugged on my earlobe. I nodded as my eyes rolled into the back of my head. "Good girl." He backed away and stepped out of his jersey shorts before sitting on the edge of the bed. I hopped out of the chair and crawled over to him.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself up. I quickly forced myself down on him and he hissed, cursing slightly under his breath.

Something about it felt dangerous and I think it was the skirt. Even though we were in our house, in our bedroom and completely alone it almost felt like a secret. I could feel him gripping at the fabric as he guided my hips up and down against him. I threw my hair back and bit down on my lip as I started moving faster. He leaned forward and brushed his lips across my chest as a deep moan escaped from his chest.

"Baby you feel so good," he whispered. I grabbed fistfuls of his hair and pulled his mouth to mine.

"Eyes on me," I murmured. My eyes clenched for the slightest moment when he brushed against my most sensitive spot. My whole body was on fire and looking for a release. Hard.

"God I can almost feel your heart beating through your whole body…"

"That's because I feel you everywhere." I slammed down onto him so roughly that he fell back onto the bed. "You're my…whole heart."

I felt him twitch inside me before he cried out. I quickly followed, finding my own release. I collapsed on top of him and placed wet kisses down his chest. He grabbed my chin and pulled my lips up to his, nipping and sucking at me.

We laid in bed for a long time, enjoying the intense high and relaxation coursing through our bodies. I laced my fingers through his and glanced his way.

"I'm really glad you're playing again," I whispered.

"Me too. You did it you know." He propped himself up on his elbow and turned towards me.

"What do you mean?"

"Your pictures. They…they brought me back. All it took was one look and I knew why I loved the game. The intense burning behind my eyes, the snap of the racquet when I serve." He shook his head. "I love it more than anything except for you. You saved me baby. I never would have found myself again without you."

"Oh I don't know if I did all that Edward. You have to take some of the credit. I just took the pictures. You did the rest."

"You did. You don't see yourself clearly Bella. You are the most amazing, perceptive, talented, sexy, understanding person I've ever met in my life and I have no idea how I got so lucky to deserve your company or your love."

"Wow," I breathed. I brushed a stray tear away from my cheek and looked up at the ceiling. "Does it always feel like this?"

"What?"

"Being this in love with someone…"

He brought my hand to his lips and brushed his lips across my skin. "A part of me would like to think nobody's felt as much as I feel with you. But another part hopes that they do, because it's the best fucking feeling in the world and I feel selfish if I'm the only one who gets to experience it." He leaned over and kissed my neck. "I have to go take a shower. I love you."

"I love you too." He hopped up and disappeared into he bathroom. I pulled on a robe and went downstairs. I hadn't had a chance to sort through the mail this morning before I went to my meeting.

There were the few expected fan mails. Most of those got sent to him through Alice but there were occasionally some that slipped through and managed to get his home address. That part kind of freaked me out a little bit so I was glad we had a gate and Frank. There were some bills and ads too, so I set those aside in a separate pile. The very last one was addressed to me. It was originally addressed to the apartment but the post office must have forwarded it here.

I tore open the envelope and pulled out the single piece of paper that was inside.

"Fuck," I whispered as I started reading.

_Honey B,_

_ I know I haven't done anything in the past few years to deserve you in my life but I wish you would at least give me a chance to explain and make your decision after that. If you still don't want me in your life I'll walk away, no questions asked. _

_ Despite the fact that your mother and I didn't stay together she was and always will be the love of my life. Seeing you growing up was a constant reminder of what I lost. I was a less than perfect father because of my own selfishness and I'm sorry for that. When your mother got sick I felt like my heart was being ripped apart. I tried so many times to come and visit and every time I ended up on the edge of a breakdown in the car. I couldn't do it baby. As shitty of an excuse as it was I couldn't see her like that. I know that's not how it's supposed to be. I'm the dad, I'm supposed to be the strong one, but I was so weak. The best I could do was help pay for her home care so she wouldn't have to spend her last days in the hospital. I know that left you with a lot of hurt and pain honey and I'm sorry about that. I should have been there for you and for her and I regret it everyday of my life. You both deserved more and I'm an asshole for doing that to you. I know that. I even sat in the car at her funeral telling my legs to just…go to you and they wouldn't move._

_ I can't change the past, even though I wish that I could. I can only make amends and hope that someday you might want me in your life again, because I'd like to be there Bella. I love you regardless of your decision, but I just wanted you to know all of this. It wasn't because I didn't care and it wasn't because I didn't love you or her. I was messed up baby. _

_ Dad_

I felt the paper slip from my hands and float to the floor. My knees started to wobble and I reached out for the table to find some support.

"Bella?" Edward was suddenly behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "What is it?"

"M-m-my dad."

He helped me into a chair and picked the letter off the floor. He sat down beside me and read it himself while he rubbed my back.

"What do you think?" He whispered.

"I don't know. I don't know what to think. I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. I'm supposed to still hate him right? I mean you want me to hate him?" I turned towards him, looking for some kind of confirmation of what I was supposed to do.

"I want you to make your own decisions sweetheart. This isn't up to me. Do I like what he did to you? Fuck no. Would I like you to be able to have a father in your life? Of course. It's your decision. Yours. It doesn't matter what I think or what Jasper thinks or even what your father thinks. It's what you think."

"I think…I think I need to talk to him." It didn't mean I was letting him back into my life but the part of my heart that was so broken by him didn't hurt so much anymore. His words didn't excuse it but it did explain a little. I never realized he was in pain. I thought he just…didn't give a flying fuck. Maybe if I would have known we could have gotten through it together. Edward was being brave with this whole tennis thing. I could be brave and talk to my dad. Baby steps.

"I can go with you first thing tomorrow," Edward offered.

"No I think I have to do it myself. Thanks though." I leaned over and kissed him.

I didn't sleep at all that night. I was so fucking nervous. It wasn't like I hadn't seen him but this was different. I was considering actually making an effort with him and that scared the shit out of me.

Edward offered to go with me again in the morning but I told him to go practice. He told me to call him at anytime and that he'd have his phone on the loudest setting just in case they were playing.

I drove Edward's car down to Forks, calling Jasper along the way to fill him in. He agreed with Edward that it was ultimately my decision. They were just there to support me regardless and I appreciated that.

I assumed he'd be at work since it was during the week so I just went to the station. I walked inside and to the secretary that I didn't recognize. The last time I was even in here was in high school.

"Yes can I help you?" She asked.

"Is Charlie Swan in?"

"He was out on a call but he should be back any minute. Can I help with you anything?"

"Um…no. I'm his daughter."

"Isabella?" She smiled. "He talks about you all the time honey. You can have a seat in his office if you'd like." She pointed at a door in the back and I nodded.

"Thanks." I stumbled back to his office and sat down in his chair. I smiled a little seeing framed pictures of me across his desk. There was even one of my mom and me.

I heard the door open out front and Charlie's voice.

"Sir your daughter is here. I sent her back to your office," the secretary said.

"My daughter?"

"Isabella?"

There were loud, thunderous footsteps across the floor and then I saw him.

"Bella?" He asked. "I didn't think…I mean I didn't think you'd…" He started.

"I got your letter." I started spinning back and forth in his chair. He sighed and put his hands on his hips. I knew my father wasn't an emotional man so it took a lot for him to even write it to me. That had to mean something right? "I'm not…okay with what happened yet Charlie but I understand a little more. And I'm willing to try. If you're okay with that. I can't make any promises and I can't guarantee that we'll ever be like other fathers and daughters but I'm open to it. Okay?"

"Okay," he stuttered. "Okay that's great." He smiled and I offered a small one back. "Why don't you come up to Seattle for dinner some night? You can see where I live and spend some more time with Edward."

He raised his eyebrows at me.

"He'll be nice I promise," I added.

"Okay that'd be nice. Thanks honey." He let out a huge sigh of relief and I realized I was doing the right thing. It wasn't healthy holding all this inside for the rest of my life. If I could have a relationship with my father I wanted it. I guess we both needed to learn to communicate and be more open with each other. It might be a process but it was worth it.

I got up and started towards the door. I gave him another small smile on the way and told him to call me when he was free.

When I got back to Seattle Edward was still at practice. I decided to sneak down to the courts so I could watch him. I would never ever get sick of watching him play. It was one of the most beautiful, entertaining things in my life and I was ecstatic that I was going to be able to experience it more.

I slid onto one of the bleachers without him knowing and watched him hit back and forth with Emmett. I felt…lighter. Like everything really was going to be okay eventually.

"Bella?" Edward called. I looked up and saw he was jogging over to me. "Are you okay?"

I smiled and jumped into his arms. "I'm perfect."

**A/N: *sniff* we only have the epi to go. You really didn't think I was going to let Edward stay PingpongWard forever did you? Of course not. He's Tennisward. **

**As always please check out my blogs, all listed on my profile. **

**And I'd like to wish a very special Happy Birthday to secamimom because she's awesome and one of the nicest people I've ever "met." If you haven't read her stories yet get yer ass over there!**

**The poll for your last outtake will be up until tomorrow and please, please make sure to have Game, Set, Match Outtakes on alert or add me on twitter because the outtake will be added after this epi is posted so you won't have anyway of knowing. Also I am still working on the special project with Tennisward's theme song and I will be posting that on the blog when it's finished. So if you want to see it make sure you sign up for updates on the Game, Set, Match blog.  
**


	34. Be Not Afraid of Greatness

Edward's Sports Illustrated issue was printed and released about three weeks after I turned my pictures in. Mr. Cleary was right. It was their best selling one. Part of me wondered if it was because Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose and even my dad bought more than one copy. Edward bought an entire stack. He even made me autograph them even though he was the one in the pictures. He said one day they'd be worth a lot of money and he wanted to make sure he had some in stock in case his career really did go to shit. He has an EBay account already set up just as a precaution.

My first assignment for National Geographic sent me back to Europe. I was a little sad Edward couldn't go with me because he was training but I didn't go alone. Charlie actually offered to go with me, which surprised the hell out of me. I could really tell he was trying and I couldn't believe that he was going to take two weeks off of work to travel with me. Our time in Ireland was an amazing experience. I think we bonded more in those two weeks than over my entire life. It might have helped that we were drinking with old Irishmen half of the time. I did get some great pictures though, which was the point of the whole trip. Edward and I also skyped so I was thankful my dad and I didn't share a room. It would have been a long two weeks without…that.

Edward was training a lot. He wasn't really speaking publicly about anything regarding his career, but I think the media was finally realizing he might be 'Brett Farving' it and coming out of his "retirement." He even had his own tennis court built behind the house, which I couldn't believe he didn't have already. It made it a lot easier for him to practice.

Between that, my job and gearing up for Alice's wedding we were really busy. I thought it might take a toll on our relationship. I mean I was sometimes gone for days, weeks at a time. He was almost always on the court. We got into occasional spats now and then, but that was just us. It made me realize more than ever that this thing between us was going to work. We could be gone all day, come home exhausted and still manage to make time for each other at the end of the day.

Alice and Jasper were married in June, a week before Edward's birthday and were pregnant by Christmas. We spent the holiday with Charlie back in Forks. Edward and him had taken a little longer to get on good terms and despite how awkward that made it sometimes, it oddly meant a lot. Edward was very protective of my heart and I knew that. I guess he just wasn't as easily convinced that Charlie's intentions were honorable and I could understand that. I still had some anger towards him, despite the fact that I understood him. I doubted that it would ever go away completely, but at the same time I was happy to be building a relationship with him. He was my father and behind all the bullshit I loved and missed him. I knew the tide had turned with him and Edward when I woke up on Christmas morning and found them down on the couch in their pajamas eating cereal and watching cartoons.

I'd been fairly quiet about Edward jumping back into the tennis circuit officially, but I was starting to get antsy. It wasn't that I wanted to push him when he wasn't ready. I knew he wanted to recommit himself and get on solid ground with the game before he started playing again and I was okay with that. But I didn't want him to get so consumed in it that he completely misses his chance to be great.

"Edward?" I bit down on my lip and glanced over at him. I knew he wasn't sleeping yet.

He slowly opened his eyes and turned towards me. "Yeah?"

"You know the Australian is coming up…" I mumbled.

"Yeah."

"So…what do you think?" I scooted closer to him and rested my head on his pillow.

"I don't want the Australian."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…yeah I want it at some point, but right now? I want Wimbledon. It's all I can fucking see in my head right now."

"Okay." I nodded. "Then you'll get Wimbledon."

He smirked and pressed his forehead to mine. "Will you tell me it again?"

I kissed him before closing my eyes. ""Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them".

Wimbledon, Final Round

Edward bounced the ball one, two, three, four times and stepped to the baseline. It was strange sitting up in the "family" seats rather than being down in the action. I had to say that I kind of missed it. Plus I didn't get quite as good of view of his ass from way up here.

It'd been a full year since Alice and Jasper's wedding and despite the doctor's orders she flew over here in her last month of pregnancy. But it was Alice and you can't tell her anything.

Alice reached over and grabbed my hand as Edward threw his toss up. He was one point away from winning Wimbledon, what he'd been working towards for over a year. I held my breath as he snapped his racquet down on the ball. It soared over the net and to the corner of the service box, barely brushing across the white line. His opponent lunged for the ball and swung, tripping over his own feet in his desperation. He missed and the ball flew right past him.

Before I could muster up a decent scream the line judge threw his arm up, indicating he called the ball out.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I whispered. The crowd erupted in a roar of "boos" which wasn't something that happened all the time in tennis. "That's bullshit!" I stood up and pointed towards the spot. "That was in!"

Edward turned around and laughed a little at my outburst. It was kind of hilarious, considering that he was the one who used to be known for them. I guess I just got a little irritated that the ref was robbing my man of his win.

"Mr. Cullen would you like to challenge the ruling?" The chair referee asked.

"No that's okay ref. I'll just do it again." He smirked and the crowd laughed. Cocky bastard.

To say that the crowd was receptive towards Edward was an understatement. This was his first major tournament back in the game and they supported him. It meant a lot to him that they were behind him after so long. I guess it just shows that I'm not the only one who believed in him. They knew he had talent just as much as I did.

He stepped up to the line and did his serving routine again. The ball shot almost to the same exact spot on the opposite corner. I guess his opponent took Edward's statement literally because as soon as Edward hit the ball he threw himself towards the corner his first serve went to. The entire crowd fell silent and Edward turned towards the chair referee again.

"Am I good?" He asked casually. The ref shifted uncomfortably in his seat before nodding his head.

"Match Mr. Edward Cullen."

Edward threw his fist into the air and started jumping around as the crowd burst into applause. I jumped up in my seat and leapt onto Jasper's back just so I could see better. Edward threw his racquet down on the ground as he waved to the crowd. The moment his eyes connected with mine he launched himself up the wall and into the crowd. Everyone patted his back as he passed them, but he didn't stop. This was our moment and for once I got to experience it with him.

As soon as he was close enough I jumped off Jasper's back and right into his arms. I didn't care that he was sweaty or gross I just wanted to kiss him. My mouth found his and I felt him smile against my lips.

"I love you," I mumbled.

"I love you too. I love you so much." He ran his hands gently through my hair as I hugged him tighter. In that moment it was just us. We weren't in a stadium packed with people; we were just Edward and Bella. And I've never been more proud of him. "I love you," his voice broke as he buried his face into my neck.

"Alright let me give my brother a hug, he just won Wimbledon!" Alice squealed. I reluctantly obliged to let Edward go because I didn't want her to have a conniption and go into labor or something.

Edward wrapped his arms gently around her, careful to watch her baby bump. He kissed her cheek before kneeling down in front of her.

"Katie," he mumbled, talking to Alice's stomach. "I don't know if you can hear me kid, but I just want you to know you have the most badass uncle in the entire world. And don't tell your mother I just said ass in front of you."

Alice rolled her eyes and laughed. Edward continued on down the line, giving Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie hugs before returning to the court.

After the crowd had settled down he was presented with his trophy and was carted off for pictures and interviews. We knew he'd be awhile and since Alice had respectfully resigned from being Edward's agent, we didn't really need to rush out. They'd eventually come to terms with the fact that although they loved each other and Alice was a great agent; they just should not work together.

We sat back down in our seats and waited for the stadium to clear out. When it did we made our way down the steps and out towards the locker rooms. I saw Vader and gave him a smile and a high five. I assumed Edward had already been cascaded through the initial rounds of interviews so we just decided to wait for him to clean up.

"Dad?"

My entire body tensed when I heard Alice utter those words. I turned around and shook my head. Edward Sr. was standing in front of Alice, his suit jacket in his arms and his shirt sweaty as hell. Almost like he'd been sitting outside all day with us.

"Ali girl…" He smiled. "I didn't know you were expecting. When are you due?"

"Next month," she said softly.

"Congratulations, you'll make a great mommy." He reached out and brushed his hand against her stomach. She almost cowered back but held her ground. I know at one point I thought Alice was a bitch, but she was the toughest bitch I've ever met in my life and I envied her in so many ways. She had my utmost respect for the way she was handling herself right now, considering the circumstances.

"This is my husband Jasper." She tugged lightly on Jasper's arm and Jasper being who he was smiled and shook Edward Sr.'s hand.

"It's nice to meet you sir," Jasper said.

"You as well. I trust you're taking care of my little girl?"

Alice winced at the sound of his words and grabbed onto Jasper's hand.

"Oh I don't think Ali needs taking care of sir. She's quite a pistol. She manages herself pretty well, she's done it on her own for most of her life."

I gasped. I've never heard Jasper take a dig at someone like that. It was subtle but it was there. And it was fucking awesome. Note to self: buy Jasper a big candy bar later.

Edward Sr. cleared his throat and turned my way.

"Isabella." He smiled and took a few steps.

"Listen dude, I don't know what the hell you think you're doing here…"

"I was here to watch my son play," he smiled.

"No business?" I cocked my eyebrow.

"No business. All pleasure. My boy really can play."

I glanced behind him to Alice. She shrugged.

"Edward if this is all some game, we're really not interested in playing…" I shook my head. "He's in a really…really good place right now okay? I'm sorry about the things I said the last time I saw you, it was highly inappropriate but it doesn't mean it wasn't true and I don't regret defending him." I crossed my arms in front of me.

"I'm glad you did sweetheart. I needed a swift kick in the you know what and you kicking me out of his life was exactly what I needed. You don't realize how much something means to you until it's not there anymore. I mean really not there. I treated my children as an accessory, a doormat, something that would always be there and I won't make that mistake again. I'd like to see my son please."

I narrowed my eyes at him and sighed. "Pinky swear?" It may have been juvenile but pinky swears meant something to me and it was the only thing that would get him past me. I felt bigger than Vader right now and I had no problem kicking Edward Sr.'s ass if he tried anything.

"I pinky swear Miss Bella." He held out his pinky and I took it with mine. "You know I like you," he said as I stepped aside. "I hope my son marries you someday." He walked down the hallway and stopped in front of Edward's dressing room. He knocked and the door opened. I held my breath as he stepped inside.

I sat down on the ground and waited. Alice eventually got tired and Jasper took her back to the room. Emmett and Rose left after an hour to get something to eat. But I stayed. I wasn't leaving him. I wanted to be here when he came out.

Two hours later and after I'd counted the tiles on the floor three times the door opened again. The Edwards stepped out and I was surprised to find they were actually laughing. They both glanced at me as they approached and Edward Sr. turned to shake Edward's hand.

"I'll see you at the U.S. Open. And good luck tonight." He winked and left.

"Are you okay?" I quickly went to Edward's side and took his hand.

"Did you really make him pinky swear to get past you?" He laughed.

"Yes."

"God I love you." He kissed my forehead. "And yes I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Let's see. I have a kickass girlfriend, my sister's about to pop out a baby, my father actually came to see me play…and oh I just won Wimbledon. I'm fucking okay."

"Okay. And what's tonight?"

"Nothing." He smirked and draped his arm over my shoulder as we left the hallway.

"Edward…"

"Bella," he teased.

"Fine."

I knew he had something up his sleeve, but I wasn't going to bug him. It was like on your birthday when you got anything you wanted. I figured winning Wimbledon worked the same way. And plus I couldn't stop smiling just seeing how happy he was. That little boy inside of him? He was beaming because his father just came to see him play. It was priceless.

We exited through the lobby and into the media circus. There was a car waiting for us to whisk us back to the hotel. Everyone was waiting for us back at the hotel restaurant and I was glad because I was fucking starving.

We hung around for a while, eating and drinking as much as possible. Edward only had one glass of wine, which was a little odd because we were celebrating. He hadn't had more than a few drinks since he started playing again but this was different. I thought he'd want to let loose a little tonight. It made me think that something was off.

"Baby are you sure you're okay?" I leaned closer to him.

"Yeah," he smiled. "Just a little bit of nerves left over from today."

Nerves? He should be fucking relaxed as hell right now. It didn't make sense. And even if that was a suitable excuse he didn't even look nervous playing today.

I dropped the subject and went back to enjoying my dinner. Alice and Jasper retired early since being pregnant apparently made you old, but Rose and Emmett stuck around for a little while.

"Will you go for a walk with me?" Edward whispered.

I nodded and smiled slightly. He stood up and offered me his hand.

"Be generous tonight Bella," Emmett winked. "He did just win Wimbledon."

Edward laughed and threw a balled up napkin at his head.

He led me through the restaurant and out to a car that was waiting for us.

"I thought you wanted to go for a walk?" I asked.

"I do. Just not here." He smiled and pulled me into the car.

"Okay." I shrugged and held onto his hand as we zoomed through the streets of London. The city lights eventually faded away a little and I wondered where the hell we were going.

"Edward what are we doing here?" I asked as we pulled up in front of the courts.

"I want to show you something." He told the driver to take a break and pulled me from the car.

"How did you get in here so late?" I asked.

"Are you kidding? I just won Wimbledon," he laughed.

"Oh. Excuse me Mr. Tennis God." I rolled my eyes and smirked.

He led me through the lobby and towards center court. It was completely empty and fairly dark. I couldn't even see the court from up in the stands.

"It's kind of nice out here at night isn't it?" Edward said, looking around the court.

"Yeah. What are we doing?"

"I just…" He smiled and turned towards me. "I want to make sure you know how much you mean to me. I couldn't have ever imagined meeting someone like you and you flipped my entire world upside down. It will never be the same because of you, regardless of your answer."

"My answer?"

"Bella you've got me by the balls, literally and figuratively. And I can't imagine spending a single second of my life without you in it…"

The lights of the court suddenly flipped on and I blinked, momentarily blinded. I turned towards the court and noticed that the net had been taken down and there were tennis balls on the court. It took me a minute to realize they were arranged in letters. _Will you marry me?_

"Oh my God…" I whispered. My hand flew up to my mouth. When I turned back towards Edward he was down on one knee with a ring perched on his hand. "Oh my God. Really?" I cried.

"Yes really," he laughed. "I want to marry you."

"I want to marry you too."

"So is that officially a 'yes' or do I have to re-serve?" He smirked.

"Yes." I nodded. "Hell yes." I reached out for him and pulled him close. "How did you do all this?"

"I noticed you were all buddy-buddy with Raymond so I asked for his help."

"Raymond?"

"The security guard."

"Vader helped you? What a nice guy."

"That's why I was so nervous at dinner. He kept texting me during dinner and saying that the balls were rolling all over the place. I finally told him to just fucking super glue them. I'll probably have to pay for a new court but I don't care."

I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Vader super gluing all the tennis balls to the court.

"Oh you probably want this." He pulled back and grabbed my left hand. He took the ring from its box and slipped it onto my ring finger. "Perfect."

We waited until the next morning at breakfast to tell everyone. I was a little surprised that Edward had managed to keep it a secret. I asked him what he was going to do if he'd lost and he said it wouldn't have made a difference. He wanted to marry me whether or not he got Wimbledon this time.

"So….we have a little announcement." I smiled at Alice and slowly brought my left hand up.

A piercing scream ripped through my eardrums and I instinctively cowered back. I thought for sure that sound was only audible to dogs, but my eardrums were in pain. Everyone in the restaurant froze and turned towards us.

Jasper reached over and covered her mouth, smiling apologetically at the other patrons. "Congratulations guys," he said.

"Congrats!" Emmett and Rose said.

Edward took my hand and kissed my neck.

Alice finally calmed down enough to speak in a normal voice and instantly offered to help me plan the wedding.

Our house had turned into wedding central less than a week after we got back. There were magazines and color swatches and folders and folders of information. Even after Alice had Katie she was there all the time helping me.

"Alice really….you can go home. I can figure it out." We were looking through cakes trying to decide which one I wanted. We'd had an appointment earlier with the bakery and now all I needed to do was pick one out.

"Nonsense." She shifted Katie on her knee and glanced back down at the pictures.

Edward came through the door, sweaty and red after his run.

"Hey babe," he called.

"Hey can you take Katie for a little bit so we can get this done?" Alice asked.

"Yeah sure. Let me just take a quick shower." He started up the stairs and was back down in ten minutes.

I never really thought of Edward as a kid person, but he was completely wrapped around that little baby's finger. The first few weeks after she was born he'd have a freak out if she started crying. He was generally concerned that there was something really wrong with her but Alice told him that's what babies do. They cry.

"Come here." He smiled and took Katie from Alice. "Let's go watch some ESPN."

I rolled my eyes and went back to my folder. I was convinced that Katie was going to be a star tennis prodigy if Edward had anything to do with it. He even bought her a stuffed tennis racquet.

Alice and I worked for a couple of hours before she finally agreed to go home. We packed all of our wedding stuff away and went to find Edward. The living room was dark, except for the flickering of the television. Edward was sleeping on the couch; Katie nestled up on his chest doing the same. I'm telling you there is nothing cuter than seeing a guy like that, especially when he's your guy.

I smiled and grabbed my camera so I could sneak a picture before Alice took her away. I quickly took Katie's place and settled myself on top of him. We ended up sleeping on the couch that night and it was surprisingly comfortable.

The next few months were just as hectic and then just like that it was our wedding day. I never imagined myself to be a winter bride, but it was kind of nice. And plus it was the only time Edward really had off training enough to have the wedding and go on our honeymoon. He'd have to start practicing for the Australian Open as soon as we got back.

"The caterers aren't here yet," Alice complained. She burst through the door toting little Katie along in a baby carrier, even though she was already in her bridesmaid's dress. Alice was incapable of not working.

"Alice." I grabbed her by the arms and told her to breathe. I think she was more nervous than I was. "It's okay. They will get here. You need to pass Katie off to Edward Sr. because we're about to walk down the aisle. I need to get married." I nodded my head slowly as her eyes darted around the room.

Right on cue Edward Sr. stepped into the room along with Jasper and Charlie. Alice gave Katie to Edward, who was going to be on baby duty at least during the ceremony. He smiled at me and told me I looked beautiful before carting Katie out into the ceremony space. Him and Alice still weren't on the best of terms, it was the father/daughter reunion Charlie and I had by any means, but he was at least in her life. And he was in Katie's life.

Alice said something about going to find Rosalie and told us we had two minutes.

"I'll give you a moment," Jasper said. He turned and left the room. Charlie shuffled nervously and cleared his throat.

"You look stunning honey," he mumbled.

"Thank you."

"I wish your mother could have been here to see you." He nodded and I could tell he was trying to hold back the tears.

"Me too. But you're here. And I'm happy that you are." I smiled and took his arm. Our relationship had grown exponentially even since our trip to Ireland. I think I knew deep down in my heart that I probably never would have been brave enough to even think about having a relationship with him if I hadn't met Edward. I liked to think that my mom sent Edward to me, as cheesy as it sounds. I mean how incredibly lucky was I that I met Alice in that elevator. It had to be something divine. It had to be. So in her roundabout way my mom brought Charlie back to me. And I would be forever thankful.

Jasper knocked and poked his head inside. "We're up kid."

I took a deep breath and ran my fingers over my dress and my veil. "Do I look alright?"

"Beautiful," he smiled.

I took my father's hand and Jasper's and we started out towards the ceremony room.

"Hey Jazz?" I leaned over and whispered in his ear as we waited.

"Yeah."

"Thanks for doing this."

"Wouldn't want it any other way darlin'." He smirked and kissed my cheek before lowering the veil over my face.

The doors opened and I smiled as I saw everyone stand. We didn't have a lot of guests, only the people who were the most important to us. I felt like I was in a movie or something. I didn't think something could feel this perfect as this felt right now.

I started walking down the aisle a little faster than I was supposed to because Jasper and Charlie pulled me back a little. I was just anxious to see him. I wasn't quite out of the doorway yet so we couldn't see each other.

"Relax baby, he'll be there…" Charlie smiled and patted my hand.

I bit down on my lip and tried not to curse while we were walking at a snail's pace. I realize that's what you were supposed to do so everyone could admire you but I just wanted to be hitched. That was it.

After a few steps I felt my heart flutter and I saw him. He was standing at the end of the aisle waiting for me with his hands resting in front of him. I knew the moment he saw me because his shoulders heaved up once, like when you take a big breath. Carlisle patted him on the back and smiled.

It felt like it took us forever to get there, but we finally did. Jasper and Charlie kissed my cheek and handed me off to Edward. He pulled me closer to him and I saw his eyes were red and puffy. He'd been crying.

"Don't cry baby." I smiled and reached up to brush his tears away.

"Welcome everyone," the minister started. "We're here to celebrate the love of Edward and Isabella. The rings?" He turned to Carlisle.

Carlisle reached into his pocket and held out our rings.

"Isabella please take this ring and place it on Edward's finger. And repeat after me."

My hand shook as I grabbed his ring and slid it halfway onto his finger. I listened to every word he said and prayed that I wouldn't mess it up.

"I, Isabella Marie Swan, take you, Edward Anthony Cullen, as my husband." I smiled and pushed the ring onto his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Edward please place this ring on Isabella's finger and repeat after me."

Edward took the ring and placed it on my finger.

"I, Edward Anthony Cullen, take you, Isabella Marie Swan, as my wife." He pushed the ring onto my finger. "Can I say something?" He asked. The minister laughed and nodded. "When I first met you Bella I didn't believe that love even…fucking meant anything in tennis or in life." He turned towards the minister. "Sorry." He turned back towards me. "And you proved me so wrong." He smiled and shook his head. "And I love you. Okay I'm done." The minister nodded to the ring. "Oh!" He pushed it onto my finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

The minister said some more mumbo jumbo and pronounced us husband and wife. Edward pulled my veil up and I jumped up into his arms as an array of flashbulbs went off. I smiled against his lips and turned my face towards the crowd so they could get our picture.

Edward eventually set me down and we made our way back down the aisle while everyone clapped and hollered. Actually it was mostly Emmett that was hollering.

When we got outside there was a nice old car waiting for us and we hopped inside.

"Hi husband." I kissed Edward again.

"Hi wife. Think we can sneak back to the hotel before the reception?" He cocked his eyebrow.

"I like the way you think." The driver started pulling away from the curb. "I can't believe we just got married," I laughed. "Are you sure you want to be stuck with me for the rest of your life?"

"Definitely. You're it for me. Game, set, match." He leaned forward and kissed my neck. I smiled and turned to look out the back of the car. I laughed as I watched all the tennis balls trailing behind our car in lieu of cans and couldn't imagine a more perfect moment. Better than the best ace, fastest volley, or longest rally I'd ever seen. Fucking. Perfect.

**A/N: Please read this even if you usually skip them. I need to say my thank yous and make some announcements : )**

**Big thank you to secamimom and other Amanda for reading and giving me advice with this story. It wouldn't be what it is without you : )**

**To everyone that loves Tennisward as much as I do and stuck with me for this little fun summer adventure THANK YOU times a billion. You guys are awesome and I didn't expect this to get as much response as it did. It was honestly just a little fantasy for me and I wanted to explore a different side of my writing so thanks for staying with it. Even if you didn't like it thank you for reading it. I don't really know why you'd keep reading something that wasn't your cup of tea but I know there are some of you out there. Whatever floats your boat, different strokes for different folks. Thank you anyway haha. **

**Please make sure to keep an eye on the Tennisward blog because I will be posting the little project I'm working on there. **

**I have also decided to post the 2****nd**** chapter of Secret Life today, to "get the ball rolling" or whatever on that one. I won't be posting anymore on it until after I get back home, which will probably be around the 18thish. I have to get moved back to my apartment and get ready for school and work so it's going to be a hectic time for me, so please be patient if you're going to read it. I'll start posting a lot more regularly after I get settled. **

**I *think* that might be it. I'm really sad for this story to end, I had so much fun with it. But I'm definitely looking forward to my future projects : ) Thanks again guys you are kickass and amazing and I wish I could personally send a Tennisward to each and every one of you.**

**Mandy**


End file.
